Violence Fetish
by Xaleria07
Summary: AU: "There's no point in stopping something you helped to bring, Raven." And he didn't need a reply to know that she believed him. RedxRae ON HIATUS
1. Prologue: Is It Worth It?

**Violence Fetish **

**Hey everyone!! I know this may be sad news to some, but I'm really considering discontinuing In Their Shoes. I don't know what to do with it and I tried to rewrite it, but it wasn't working out the way I wanted it. However, to make up for the lack of the RedxRae in there, I've started this, which I assure you will be finished!! I'll try my best, although I really do love this idea! And I'll try not to go too crazy! LoL! **

**DEDICATION: To Ivy, for writing the summary (BIG THANX!!) and for being the BESTEST friend ever!! I hope you enjoy this story because it's solely dedicated to you!! :D**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans, if I did, Robin surely would've been half-mutilated by now. I do own whoever is made up here.**

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**Prologue- Is It Worth It?**

Ann Wesley knew it was futile. There was no use of running away or fighting back. Once he was on the hunt, he wouldn't stop until he caught his prey.

But still, she couldn't help but feel a little pissed off that she, a renowned assassin, was running from a mere serial killer. But then again, he wasn't just _any_ serial killer; he was Red X. It was only because of this title, this seemingly not so intimidating title, that she was scared out of her mind.

"I guess I should have known better than to meddle with the wrong side of the law," she sighed sadly as she was met with a dead end, standing atop of the highest building in Jump City with him only a couple of steps behind her.

"Precisely," he answered her. His voice was right at her ear as his arms wrapped around her, the tip of the dagger at her throat.

Ann laughed, ignoring the feeling from the dagger that pricked her skin, "That's rich coming from you. You're the same as me although we work for different sides."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm nothing like you."

"You say that," Ann said, looking out at the vast city from the roof they both stood on. "But to them, we're both the same."

She received no reply. Smiling, Ann looked at the ground, "You know…sometimes I wonder…is it worth it? What you do?"

She, again, got no answer. "Hmm," she mused. "I guess I'll never know."

Ann closed her eyes as the dagger sliced through her skin. Crimson painted the ivory roof of the large building as her body fell forward to plummet towards the ground. He watched, his pale blue eyes devoid of any emotion as her body came into contact with the concrete. A sickening crack sounded throughout the city as the people beneath began to clamor.

"Is it worth it?" a new voice asked. He looked back at another woman, one appearing to be in her early twenties, who leaned against the door to the stairway leading down. Her violet eyes looked at him curiously, "You never answered her question."

Looking away from her, he wiped the dagger clean and placed it back into his sheath. "X, stop ignoring me!" He walked towards the door and opened it, ready to go downstairs. "X!"

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her towards him and silenced her by placing his lips to her own. Her eyes widened with surprise and remained that way even as he pulled away from her. "Yes," he whispered in her ear. "I think it is worth it."

With that, he let her go and walked down the steps, disappearing from her sight. _Yes, _she thought to herself, trying to push that kiss out of her head as she collapsed to sit. _It's worth it…this is all supposed to be worth it…even if it hurts this much. It's all worth it…_

However, as she sat there sobbing, she highly doubted that.

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**And thus begins Violence Fetish (The name inspired by a song by Disturbed; it's really good!!)!! I hope you guys enjoyed it!! I'll try to update as soon as possible!!**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	2. Chapter 1: Red

**Hey everyone!! I'm glad for the reviews, made my day!! **

**Oh yeah, I'm obsessed with Asian boy bands (YEAH SHINee (my current obsession)!! And DBSK (JaeJoong!! XD), Big Bang, and so many others I will bore you with the names) now, so don't be surprised when I squeal over something like that randomly. XP**

**DEDICATION: Like I said, THIS IS SOLELY DEDICATED TO IVY!! **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own. sigh Anyone you don't recognize, I probably do own unless I say otherwise. **

**Note: Oh, and for those who didn't realize, the prologue was like a fast forward to the future and now it's the present. **

**The **_**Italics **_**in the beginning are a dream, and not thoughts.**

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**Chapter 1- Red  
**

_"Papa?" My eyes peered around the corner, afraid of what I would see. "Papa?" _

_ I cautiously approached the door to his room. It was cracked open, and I could hear the breeze from the window inside. "Papa? Are you there?" _

_ Pushing open the door, I looked inside. What I saw, was not what I expected. The colors of the room just faded in my sight, and the only color I could see was crimson. So bright…so dreadful…and so terrifying to see that my heart practically stopped._

_ Red painted everything, the walls, the windows, the sheets, and even my parents' bodies lying on the bed bare of anything but vermillion shrouds. My hand tightened on the doorknob, my mouth opened wide and a piercing screech filled the air. _

_I didn't know if it was my voice or not. All I could comprehend to at the time was that I hated the color red._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

X woke up from a cold sweat. He pressed his palm to his forehead, the heat rising and burning his palm. Never had his heart raced so!

"Dammit," he hissed. He gripped the blankets tightly. "That's the fourth time this week."

Looking out the window, X spotted the moon. Tonight, it was full and had the rare tint of red surrounding it. X growled, anger flaring inside him. He picked up a red X-shaped shuriken and threw it at the window, it lodging its point into a window pane.

He hated the color red.

* * *

"Holy SH--!" a screeching voice sounded throughout the city, many looking up to see if they were meeting God's wrath.

In the heart of the bay of Jump City, there was a solitary island where the sounds' origin was. Atop of that island was a tall tower in the shape of the T. That T was the home of the Titans, a newly made branch of the government. It was on the same ranks as those of the CIA, secret service, or any other type of government enforcement. So to sum it all up, they were high tech policemen.

"GARFIELD LOGAN!!"

Richard Grayson's eyes turned to the doorway which slid open, a small, creamy-skinned figure running in. "Rich! You gotta hide me! QUICK!!" Garfield's emerald eyes were wide and panicked.

"What'd you do now, Gar?" Victor Stone, a tall, muscular man with chocolate skin came in from the kitchen, a plate full of bacon, eggs, and ham in his right hand. His brown eyes were crinkled with laughter.

"Gar here thinks he can cut **MY** hair while I'm sleeping because he thinks I can't kill him!!" Everyone turned toward the doorway where a pale woman now stood. Her violet eyes were furious as she held a fistful of indigo hair.

Gar chuckled nervously as he ran his fingers through his blond spikes. His eyes glanced back and forth anxiously. "It was an accident…"

Raven Roth blew up. "An **ACCIDENT**!? Cutting off **HALF** of my hair was an **ACCIDENT**?"

"Hey look, it kept getting in my face and you wouldn't move so I--…" Garfield Logan trailed off as he saw the murderous intent in Raven's eyes.

"Gar," Richard groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How many times do I have to tell you to _not _bug Raven?"

"Hey! It wasn't _**my **_fault!"

Richard opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a beep from his computer. He immediately turned around, getting a couple of coordinates from the screen. The look on his face brightened, "Never mind that! We have our first mission!"

"Aww man," Gar moaned. "We just got here though!"

"Will you shut up!" Raven growled at him. She then turned to Richard, "Do I really have to go? There's no way I'm going out like this, and besides, someone has to stay behind to watch the tower anyway since our security system hasn't been hooked up yet."

Richard nodded, too excited to get out there instead of arguing with Raven, "Sure thing, Rae. Come on Gar, Vic said Kori would meet us there since she's already out shopping."

Gar moaned again. This just wasn't his day.

* * *

His eyes, devoid of any emotions and a ocean blue color, stared at his bloody, red hands in disgust. Picking up the handkerchief from the corpse on the ground, he wiped his hands clean although he felt the thick liquid on his hands still.

"Ouch, you couldn't be easier on the guy?" X's head snapped towards the door to the young woman. Her electric pink hair, pulled into high pigtails to look like devil horns, matched with her pink cat-like eyes and the cattish grin on her pale face.

"Jinx," he said, his voice dull. "What do you want?"

"I'm hurt X," Jinx feigned pain. "How can you say such cold things? I thought we were friends!"

"Ha," X snorted, moving past the girl. Jinx frowned, pushing herself away from her leaning position to follow X. X grew irritated and snapped, "Why are you following me?"

Jinx's eyes widened in innocence, although X could see right through her, "No reason at all."

"Uh-huh," X murmured, narrowing his eyes at her. He ran his fingers through his black hair, appearing to be looking around the office for anything of value. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Jinx briefly glancing at a communicator screen. Smirking, he advanced towards her, pushing her up against the wall with his arms trapping her. Jinx looked from his eyes to the door, nervously smiling. "You're hiding something, Jinx, and I want to know what."

"Come on, X," Jinx chuckled, her tone uneasy. "Why would I hide something from you?"

X gave her look that said "you're joking, right?". Jinx chuckled again, looking at her communicator more anxiously now. "Jinx," his tone was low and warning.

Jinx opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when the communicator beeped and the doors of the office burst open, revealing four newcomers to the scene. "Too late!" Jinx called out, throwing herself up. She kicked off the wall and landed on the other side of X waving. "You're on your own X!"

"Vic! Stop her!" a voice called out, but Jinx threw something at the ground, filling it with smoke. X quickly covered his nose, fingering the items in his belt to find a gas mask as the others coughed. "Don't let them get away!" the same voice from earlier shouted.

X scoffed thinking, _amateurs. _He finally found his mask and put it on, making his way through the smoke by memory. Except he was caught off guard when someone landed a hit on his shoulder, making him falter slightly.

Reacting, X swung his fist, feeling it connect with someone's cheek. He then jumped back, leaning a little to prepare for an attack. X could make out four figures, three men and one woman. "You," the voice from before called out. X was able to match it up to a pretty fit young man with growing black hair and icy blue eyes. There was no way he was past the age of 21.

"Isn't it past your bedtime, kid?" X teased, amused with the scowl he received as the guy's reaction. _He's gotta be a hot-head, and I love to play with that kind the most._

"Shouldn't I say the same for you?" he retorted, his eyes narrowing at X. "Babysitting wasn't a part of the job description."

"Oh, so he growls," X murmured, his smile widening as he crouched into a fighting position. "Now let's see if he can bite."

"Oh, we'll bite," he responded, a smirk of his own on his face. "Titans, GO!" (Couldn't resist putting in that line. It's like his cheesy signature. XP)

"Oh yeah baby!" one who was gargantuan compared to the rest shouted, suddenly pulling out an oversized gun, which actually looked more like a missile launcher, that X had not noticed before. "Let's get this party started!" Pulling the trigger, a blue ray shot out, and quickly X ducked, watching the blast demolish the wall and go through several others before disappearing.

"Holy shit," X muttered, not used to this kind of resistance. Since he was so absorbed in the wreckage, he failed to dodge the punches of the only female of the group. X moved backwards, caught off guard by her strength. Although she was tall and looked more like a model than a cop, she was strong.

X's body acted on reflex when he felt himself bump into something. Turning around, he was met with a shorter, childlike guy who grinned elfishly. "Hey dude, you might wanna turn around." Not thinking, X did and was knocked down by the first guy who had talked.

This pissed him off. Here he was, a man whose name sent cold-blooded killers trembling, was having his ass kicked by a bunch of kids! There was no way he was going to let this happen! "That's it," X shouted, stopping all movement of the four as he glared at them, "Now I'm angry."

Reaching for the holsters attached to his belt, X pulled out two stun guns, shooting towards the large male. It hit him squarely in the chest and he fell, paralyzed, as the woman shrieked, coming towards him head on as the little boy grabbed from behind. Smirking at their foolishness, X threw the boy over him and into the woman, who yelped in surprise. Both were thrown against the wall and the woman was knocked out, landing atop of the boy who cursed out at X. That left the lead male.

X turned and met his blue eyes as they both glared at each other. "It's just you and me, kid."

"For now," the kid responded. Both fell into a crouch, circling each other as they waited for their adversary to make the first move. Just as it seemed this pattern would go on forever, there was a pink shock and the kid fell forward, unconscious.

"Now why'd you do that Jinx?" X whined, standing up to look at the pink-haired girl who held a stun gun.

Jinx rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, none of you guys were making a move. It was becoming boring."

"It wouldn't even be like this if you had just told me." X snorted, turning around sharply to walk out. Jinx followed.

"I wanted to see what the Titans were like." Jinx shrugged.

"So you used me as a guinea pig?" X was growing more irritated by the moment.

Jinx smiled, flashing X a peace sign, "Sorry."

X glared at her, crossing his arms as they stepped out of the building. "You're a witch, you know that?"

Jinx smiled, looking at X with her cat-like eyes mischievous, "I know, isn't it great?"

* * *

_Goddamn those guys!! _Raven cursed in her head as she pulled the baseball cap further down to cover her face. She had received the emergency signal a couple of minutes ago, meaning that all of them are out of commission. That was too fast, meaning they all had become rusty, and that was just pathetic to Raven. _But then again, it's been awhile since we fought together._

Raven sighed, stuffing her hands in her pocket, reminiscing about their days in Police Academy. It all seemed like forever ago, even though in reality it had been two years since then. She had been surprised when Richard called her, telling her that Jump City wanted to make them a super cop team. It wasn't something that happened everyday, but then again they were some of the best in their class. _If only this world didn't have so much evil in it, then there would be no need for us…_

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't watch where she was going and bumped shoulders with someone, causing her to drop her cell communicator. "Ahh…"

"Sorry about that," the other murmured, bending down to pick it up. He held it out towards her and Raven looked up, her eyes meeting with eyes as blue as ocean waves. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Raven murmured, taking it. The guy just nodded, walking off as a pink-haired girl followed him. Raven stared after him, _There might be hope for this world yet._

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**Oh, I wasn't aiming for this ending for this chapter, but I liked how it turned out. Thank you guys for being so patient for this chapter! I was off in Mexico and then my computer had a virus. T.T I was so sad to be away…but I'm glad I'm back now and I'll try to have the third chapter out soon! **

**Oh yeah, for those who haven't heard and read my story In Their Shoes, you may noticed it's disappeared. I'm sorry but I've decided to discontinue that story. I know it's bad to start something and not finish, but the original plot for that story became really screwed up. I'm aware though that many loved it, so I'm considering about fixing it up and maybe reposting it someday, but for now it'll be saved on my computer.**

**In other news, I'll be working on this story and The Hunter and The Hunted, which has been revised and will be reposted! It has really changed and the characters from ITS have been added. However, I was going over the original draft and really liked my original idea. If possible, I might try to combine the new and old idea together. :)**

**Let's see…I think that's it for now!! Thanks for reading and reviewing!! Many appreciation to those who added this to their alerts/faves. **

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	3. Chapter 2: To Infiltrate

**Hey people! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter. I was surprised, and very happy, to see how many people added this to their alerts and faves. Thanks so much! Here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.**

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**Chapter 2- To Infiltrate**

Run-down, disgusting and simply impossible to live in, this was the description of an old warehouse building X called home. Now you might be thinking, why would Red X, someone infamous and probably rich if he was paid for doing his job, live _here_?

Simply put: this was the only place he could call home, his only sanctuary.

"I'm home," X muttered to the empty warehouse, pushing up the garage and walking in, pulling the garage down. He slipped off his black trench coat and threw it onto a lone chair next to a small table.

Sighing, Red X looked around the empty warehouse again, feeling a tad bit lonely. Waving the feeling away though, he collapsed on the bed, pressing his arm to his forehead.

_Why the hell am I still here?_ He thought to himself as he rolled over. His eyes caught a picture frame set on the nightstand next to his bed. Sitting up and reaching out, he grabbed it, pressing his fingers against the cool glass.

In the picture was a family of four, smiles lighting their faces. X's eyes only focused on one face though. A small girl, barely even one in the photo. She held tightly onto her older brother's hand, shyly looking into the camera with her wide, innocent baby blue eyes as soft waves of auburn hair curled around her face. X's eyes tightened, _Tessa…_

_That's right_, he thought. He was here for her. His precious little sister that had been taken from him that horrible night he had found his parents dead.

Unconsciously, memories started to flash through X's mind reminding him of that horrible night…

_**Flashback**_

_Slowly I backed away from the grotesque sight, tripping over my own feet. Too shocked to get back up, I just crawled backwards, eyeing the pool of blood that was slowly pushing towards me, as if to attack me and submerge me in its crimson veil as well. _

"_Big brother?" I heard a small yawn from my right. _

_Tessa, I thought. I can't let her see this! Quickly, I ran up to my sister, putting my hand over her eyes. _

"_Big Brother?" she repeated, her voice confused. _

_I shut my eyes tightly, I rather die than let Tessa see this…_

"_Shit! The kids woke up!" Turning, I spotted two men, clothed in black suits, coming from the room next to my parents, bloody guns in their hands. _

"_Quick! Shoot them!" One screamed. _

"_Big Brother?" Tessa said again, this time more frightened. I could feel her body trembling as I pulled her closer to me. The two advanced, their guns out as I backed up, pushing myself protectively in front of my little sister. _

"_Stop," a voice interrupted, booming. _

_My eyes turned the newcomer. He was tall, his white hair shaggy and a single blue eye staring down at us as the other was covered by an eyepatch. "Boss, we were just about to kill them, so—"_

"_Fool," the man hissed at his subordinates. The two cringed and the man turned back to us. I gave him a deadly glare and all he did was chuckle. "Quite the look this boy has." He shoved his face up to mine, his face hardening, "I dislike that look of yours." _

_A whimper behind me made his head turned towards my sister. He reached out to grab her but I blocked him, screaming, "Leave her alone!" _

_The man frowned, "Insolent boy!" He threw me aside and my back hit the staircase making me cry out. _

"_Big Brother! Ahh!" _

"_Tessa," I murmured, looking up to see the man had grabbed her face, staring into her frightened blue eyes. The man smirked. _

" _The girl is young, able to be trained. She's valuable. As for the boy, you can do whatever you like with him." _

_Without warning, the guy hoisted Tessa up. She screamed and banged against him just like I taught her to do, but she was no match for such a large guy. "Tessa!" I tried to move, but the bones in my body ached with every movement. "Tessa!" _

"_Big Brother!" she cried out, tears falling down her face. "Big Brother!!" _

"_Tess—" I stopped as one of the guys cocked the gun at my face, smirking as if to taunt me that he had control over my end. Staring up, wide eyed, a strange feeling filled me. Something hot, burning in the pit of my stomach. _

"_Big Brother!!" I could hear Tessa yell from downstairs. "Big Brother!!" _

_It was then I snapped. Growling, I pushed with all might and grabbed the guy's hand, biting it. He howled, dropping the gun. Following nothing but my instinct, the feeling inside me that forced my body to move, I picked it up and shot wildly. It was heavy, much too heavy for a nine-year-old to carry, but somehow I had strength. I had something that drove me. This…burning feeling that rose up and threatened to explode. This…anger. Hate. _

"_Tessa!" I screamed, hauling the gun in my hands as I ran after her, stepping over the dead bodies of the two men I had just killed. "Tessa!" I called out, seeing the door open. I dropped the gun and ran towards the door screaming her name over and over again into the night. _

_**End of Flashback**_

X opened his eyes, looking at the photo. Placing it back, X stood up. He grabbed a gun from a holster and turned to the picture of Slade Wilson, mayor of jump City and the man he had seen so many years ago. X's blue eyes narrowed to a glare, one even deadlier than the one he had given Slade twelve years ago. "Slade," he growled. "I'll kill you, you bastard!"

BANG! In the middle of Slade's forehead in the picture, right between his eyebrows, there was a bullet lodged into the wall.

X lowered his gun, his hand trembling now. It always did that when anger filled him. When he hated Slade to the point of where he would show him no mercy once he got his hands on him. After all, this violence fetish was because of Slade. X couldn't break free now.

_Tessa, _X looked up at the roof, letting his body calm down. _I'll rid this city of Slade…of evil…and then we can live together. When it's all over and done, I promise I'll put this gun down for life. Yes…_X thought, looking down at his right hand, the hand that he had used to kill. _I'll break free of this violence fetish._

* * *

"Dammit!" Richard yelled, banging against the desk as he stared at the computer screen madly. "That damn bastard X!"

"This guy must be good," Raven murmured as she rubbed a soothing ointment on Victor's skin. "I mean, never had I heard Robin curse someone so much."

"Dude, the guy pushed Kori on top of me!" Gar interrupted, fuming. "Kori's a lot heavier than she looks!"

Eyes flashing dangerously, the said girl glared at Gar. "GARFIELD LOGAN!!"

"AHH!" Gar screamed, running out from the furious Kori. One thing that was just as bad as getting Raven mad was getting Kori mad.

"Not the smartest thing to say in front of Kori," Raven muttered as she rolled her eyes. "The idiot. Just like when he cut my hair, he doesn't know when to shut up or stop."

"Hmm," Victor chuckled. "By the way, like the new 'do, Raven."

"Thanks," Raven said uneasily, unused to compliments. Her hair, which had been defaced by Gar but fixed thanks to a talented hair stylist in a salon near the office, was now an indigo bob barely brushing her shoulders.

"Where could he be?" Richard hissed from the computer.

Finishing up with Victor, Raven rolled her eyes. "Someone better calm down Boy Wonder before he blows a fuse."

Victor laughed, "If anyone was brave enough to approach him."

"Oh that's easy," Raven smirked. "Just send Kori."

Victor smirked as well and replied, "Before she kills Gar, right?"

Raven paused, looking like she was thinking about it. Smiling, she shook her head and said, "No, after."

Victor burst out laughing as Raven smiled at her own joke, walking away to put away the ointment.

_**Afterwards…**_

"So," Raven started, looking at her other teammates while trying hard not to laugh. Victor was doing the same as Kori stood tall, smirking proudly. Gar, on the other hand, stood in the middle with a swollen cheek, lip, and a black eye. "Why are we here?"

Richard, his holier-than-thou attitude on, smirked as he said, "I have found a way to get X, slowly, but surely."

When his team did not react, he frowned but continued, "Here's my plan, we have someone on the inside. Maybe bribe one of his friends or something into giving us information. And since they're going to be close, he'll never see it. It's brilliant!"

"Actually Richard," everyone turned towards Raven. "It has a flaw. From what you tell me, this X person is very solitary meaning he probably doesn't have many friends. And it's highly unlikely his friends would betray him. He's a killer after all. Who says he won't go after his own traitor friends?"

Raven stopped, looking at her friends with a look that said "I'm right, aren't I?".

"So you have a point," Richard muttered, not liking that someone had found a flaw in his plan. "Then what do you suggest, Raven?"

Raven straightened, going into full-cop mode, "Having someone on the inside is a good idea. However, we can't trust someone else. It should be one of us."

"One of us?" Richard brightened, warming up to the idea immediately. "I like that! And since you suggested it Raven, you should be the one to infiltrate!"

Raven, who had been smiling at her intelligence, quickly frowned, "No."

"Why not? X has already seen all of us but you because you stayed behind."

"He's got a point, Rae." Victor said.

Raven turned her glare onto Richard, firmly saying, "No."

"Come on, Raven." Richard argued. "You're the only one who can do this! And at Police Academy you were the best at infiltrating the enemy's."

"He's right, Raven." Kori added. "You're the best for the job."

"Uh-huh," Gar muttered, nodding.

Raven looked at all of her friends as they circled around her. "Raven," they all chorused. "Please?"

_I'm going to regret this…I know I'm going to…_Raven thought, her will crumbling under all of her friends' pressure. "Fine."

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**I'm sorry it's kind of short, but that was a good cliffhanger. :D And I'll try not to take to long on updating now. (3 days since last update, not so bad…right?) Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews!! I feel so loved!! LoL! :) Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**Replies to Reviews (because I'm too lazy to send review replies right now XP):**

_Okikuchan: Thanks for reviewing. I'll make sure to keep up with it. :)_

_Z.Brite: LoL, glad you loved it so much. XD Onions can be annoying. (Coming from the girl who **always **ends up cutting the onions for dinner).  
_

_liliac gurl: Thanks for reviewing both chapters! I glad you liked Ch. 1._

_718darkstar: LoL, no, it wasn't Raven. Good try for guessing though! It kind of sounds like I might be talking about Raven, huh? LoL, I added something in this chapter about her hair thing earlier actually! Hope you enjoyed it. XD_

_Poison's Ivy: I think I already replied to yours. ;p But can't remember...oh well. We both have bad memory. XP LoL, but I'm glad you liked it! I love the black hair/blue eye combo too! Although it's Robin-ish, X would look WAY cooler. I love the irony too, that's why I added it. :) _

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	4. Chapter 3: The Art of Infiltration

**Alright! Thanks for reviewing everyone!! XD I'm sorry it took me a while to update. I had a little writer's block and just got over it THANKS TO IVY!! XP Since last chapter was really short, I'll to make up for that this chapter! Enjoy!**

**DEDICATION: Did I ever mention this is DEDICATED to IVY? ;D **

**Disclaimer: XP I'm tired of these. But they somehow seem mandatory. (shrug) Don't own.**

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**Chapter 3- The Art of Infiltration **

_**A week later…**_

Raven sighed, glaring at her reflection. The entire week she had forced Victor to spar with her, and she had purposely gotten bruises in particular places to set her story into motion. She still hated the purple-blue blotches on her skin though. She also hadn't eaten all week either making it worse. Once she came back from this mission, she would find a way to kill Richard. Maybe she'd be able to pick up some pointers from this 'Red X' person while she was undercover.

"Oi, Rae! You ready yet?" Gar asked, safely from her closed door. It seemed he had finally gained _**some **_intelligence.

"Just about," Raven called back. She pulled open a drawer to her right, pulling out a silver blade. She toyed with it for a while, thinking of the perfect places to injure herself. After all, she couldn't infiltrate without a good story, could she?

"Hey Gar, can you get Richard for me?" Raven cried out, hoping the little guy was still there.

"Uh…okay." He responded. She listened to the pounding of his feet as he raced away. Raven looked back down at the dagger and then pressed it to her arm, slicing her skin and watching the blood drip. She cut herself more, on her arms, her legs, and her face. She even cut herself dangerously close to the vein on her neck. She then took the bleeding cuts and rubbed them on her clothes, like she had rubbed them in a panicked frenzy.

"Raven!" Richard shouted when he opened her door. He quickly ran to her, grabbing the hand with the knife. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Making my story." Raven answered as she wiped the knife clean and put it away. She didn't mind that blood was still dripping from the many cuts she had given herself.

"Your story?" Richard questioned, wondering what she was doing now as she dug for something under the bed.

"Yeah, what do you expect me to do? Waltz up to X and ask him to let me in? Ha," Raven snorted as she felt her fingers come into contact with a box. "Ahh, here it is."

She pulled out the box and opened it, revealing a gun. "Raven…what are you going to do with that?" Richard asked, becoming concerned for his friend's health.

"Nothing," she said. Richard let out a sight of relief but was surprised when Raven held out the gun to him. "You're going to shoot me with it."

"Raven! That's going too far!" Richard tried to push the gun away but Raven held her hand out firmly.

"Come on, Richard," Raven moaned. "A couple of cuts aren't going to get me anywhere. I need a serious wound. A bullet wound in the shoulder should do."

"Raven…"

"Just do it!"

Richard looked down at the gun uncertainly, but if it was to catch a criminal…If it was to catch X, he guessed it would be alright. He hesitated but reached for the gun. Raven stood stiffly as she stared at Richard, her eyes holding no emotion. She bit her lip, readying her body for pain. Richard looked at the gun in his hands and quickly pulled on the trigger, thinking it was better to just get it over with. At once, he heard the bang of the gun followed by Raven's screams of pain.

* * *

Richard looked out of the car worriedly at Raven who sat against a wall, breathing heavily and looking like someone who had just escaped from a bad fight. The exact result she had desired in the first place. Although the street was deserted now, someone would surely come.

Raven had told him the main points of her plan and about the research she had discovered. This neighborhood Richard now lied in wait in was one of the, surprisingly many, neighborhoods that supported X and what he did. They called him a 'hero' here. It disgusted Richard.

Raven decided this was the best since someone might see her and call to X for help.

Richard looked back down at the printouts Raven had provided him. It was the alias she'd be using. _Raven Taine? Why the heck did she use her real first name? _Richard frowned in disapproval, but it was too late to change anything now. From the file, 'Raven Taine' had been an orphan since the age of 6. She was sent to an orphanage in a neighboring city of Jump City, one that had been destroyed in a gang war just about a couple of days ago actually. Raven's story was that she had fled the orphanage but was caught by a gang. She then escaped them and collapsed in this neighborhood.

_That's why she made me shoot her at the tower, so her wounds would age a little bit. Even if just for an hour or so. _Richard thought. _That way she'd look like she escaped a gang execution or something. I never would have thought of that…_

"Hey miss, you okay?" Richard's eyes tore away from the manila folder and back to Raven. She had been approached by a little boy. "Miss?"

His eyes spotted the pool of blood forming around her and he opened his mouth, letting out a scream. "Billy!" A woman came running out of a building and she gasped when she spotted Raven. "Oh god!"

The woman bent down, checking Raven's pulse. Her face looked a little relieved but still panicked. She quickly told Billy some directions and the boy nodded, running off. Richard waited for a couple of minutes until the boy returned, a man in tow.

Richard tried hard to hold himself back from starting the car and running down the son of a bitch who had knocked out his team the last time they met.

"She's still alive, but she's badly hurt." The woman informed X as he knelt down next to Raven. He grabbed her chin and looked at her face, his eyes narrowing at the bloody wound in her shoulder and the cuts and bruises all over her body. Her clothes were torn, dirty and bloody as well.

"Alright, I'll take care of her." X told the lady, moving to pick Raven up. Richard saw that his face became surprised, as if to say, 'She's so light'.

_No wonder she stopped eating…_Richard thought, remembering how he was worried why Raven hadn't joined them for any meals. She had been getting ready for this. Just like they had all said, Raven really was the best at infiltrating.

X thanked the woman and the boy and walked off. Richard watched until he was out of sight. _I guess I leave this in your hands now Raven. _

Richard sighed, wishing he could be the infiltrator instead of Raven, but that was impossible. He started the car and drove off.

* * *

"Who the hell is she?" Jinx asked when Red X returned home with a bloody girl in his arms.

"I don't know," X shrugged, walking towards the bed to lie the girl down. She was out like a light, probably from dehydration or the blood loss, maybe even both. "Billy found her leaning against the Monroe building this morning."

"Oh?" Jinx walked up to the bed, looking at the girl with curious eyes. "Ouch, those look painful."

"They probably were," X responded, getting to work. "Hey Jinx, can you get me a towel and a bowl of water?"

"What do I look like, a nurse?" X gave Jinx a dry look, one that said, 'whose house is this again?'. "Fine."

However, Jinx smirked, "But you do know you have to change her, right?"

Jinx's smile widened as X's face fell in shock. He turned red and tried not to look at the girl. "Um, never mind. I'll get the water and you change her."

"Alright," Jinx waited until X had walked away before she grabbed the scissors and cut through the girl's clothing. Jinx's face contorted to that of disgust and pity when the clothes fell to reveal the purple-blue bruises all over the girl's skin. _What the heck happened to her?_

She grabbed a fresh shirt and sweats from X's meager selection of clothes and dressed the girl in them, wary of her cuts and bruises. X did not return until Jinx said she was fully clothed.

"I think the bullet's still in her shoulder," X told Jinx when he finally went to inspecting her wounds. "I'll have to remove it."

"Ugh! I don't want to watch that!" Jinx shrieked.

"I'll need your help though." X told her, getting some tools ready. He had obviously done this before. "I don't have morphine or any kind of drug for her to take. If she wakes from the pain I need you to hold her down."

"You mean," Jinx became bug-eyed when X pulled out a knife. "You're going to CUT HER OPEN?!"

X stared at her, "How else am I going to get it out?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Just hold her down!!"

A few minutes later Jinx, unwillingly, held the girl down and tired hard not to watch X cut the skin of the girl's arm open. He pulled out some tweezers and dug into the hole of the skin, trying to grab the bullet. It took him a moment, but he soon pulled the tweezers out along with the bullet and plopped it into a bowl. Jinx helped him clean the wound and midway in their stitching, the girl awoke.

At first, they hadn't realized it. Then the girl jumped, the thread and needle coming loose from X's hands. The girl backed up against the wall, staring at the two with suspicious eyes, "Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing to me?"

"We **were **fixing your wounds," X emphasized, scowling at this girl's attitude. After all, he had been helping her!

"You…" the girl trailed off, confused. She looked down at her shoulder at were they had been stitching. "Helped me?"

"Of course. We weren't going to leave you bleeding out there. What do you think we are, heartless killers?" X said, shaking his head with a sigh. The girl gave him a funny look, but it quickly passed as she slowly became less tense around them. "Now can we finish stitching it?"

"Uh…" the girl said uneasily. She looked back at her shoulder. "I guess."

She hesitantly laid back down and while X finished the stitching, Jinx asked her questions. "So, what's your name?"

"Raven Taine," she answered, trying to ignore the pulling of her skin on her shoulder.

"Where do you come from?"

"From Palm City, by the way, where am I anyway?" Raven asked as X finished up. He closed the stitch and cut the string.

"You're in Jump. It's right next door." X answered, getting up to clean out all the blood from the towels and bowl.

Raven looked down at her cuts. They had been cleaned and some ointment had been put on them. "Thanks."

"It's no problem. X here helps out anyone in need." Jinx leaned back, jerking her thumb to X. Raven's eyes widened in surprise.

"X? As in Red X?"

"Yeah, you know me?" X asked from the sink, dumping its contents down the drain.

"Only from the stories I heard the gang talking about. They said you were a serial killer." Raven looked down at X, her eyes more alert now.

X chuckled, "Really?" When he spotted Raven fidgeting uneasily, he reassured, "Don't worry. I won't kill you. I only kill those that hurt others."

Raven frowned, "But isn't it still a crime?"

"Crime? I find it more like an act of…" X trailed off, searching for the right word, "duty."

"X doesn't kill for pleasure," Jinx told Raven. "He kills the scum of the earth who don't deserve to live. People who will take people's homes and throw them into the streets without offering a hand of help; people who would backstab their friends and laugh in their faces as they did so."

"People who take other people's family and lock them up like lab rats," X hissed, his eyes hateful. "That's the kind of people I kill."

Raven looked at Jinx then at X, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

"So," Raven watched as Jinx plopped herself down next to her feet. She smiled friendly at Raven as she said, "Tell me what happened to you. I'm dying of curiosity."

"Haven't you ever heard of the saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat'?" Raven asked her, wanting to avoid telling her elaborate 'past' if she could.

"Yes, but ever heard, 'And satisfaction brought it back'?" Jinx countered, a quite cattish smirk on her face to compliment her abnormal cat-eyes. Raven wondered how she got like that.

"Well," Raven started, thinking out her story in her head. She had to sound believing and get her story straight, or else she'd compromise the mission. "Like I said, I lived in Palm City in an orphanage called 'Helen's Home'." Raven watched as Jinx crossed her feet, getting comfortable. From the corner of her eyes, she could see X turn a chair towards her and sit.

"I don't know if you heard about it, but maybe three or so days ago, I can't remember when, the orphanage became the site of a gang war." Raven pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, as if seeking comfort from this position. She was really getting into this role. "Anyway, I ran from the orphanage, but was caught by one of the gangs. I don't know exactly what happened after that, they had knocked me out. When I woke up I found myself in some warehouse and they…they…"

Raven trailed off as a haunted look come to her eyes. Although to Jinx and X, they believed she was remembering a horrible experience from the gang, Raven was actually remembering something quite different.

No one, not even her close friends, knew this. But as a child, Raven had been abused by her father, Trigon. He was a business tycoon and a well-admired figure, but Raven hated him with every fiber of her being. He had abused her, her mother, and taken advantage of them both. He was the reason her mother had committed suicide and left Raven behind. He was the reason she became a cop so she could bust his ass one day. That day had yet to come, but she was sure it would. She wouldn't rest unless she saw her father behind bars, or better yet, dead himself.

"Hey, you okay?" Raven snapped out of her trance as she looked up at X who had walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Raven shrugged his hand off, muttering, "I'm fine." In her limited line of vision she could see X and Jinx look at each other.

"Well," Jinx interrupted the uncomfortable silence. "I think I'll be going now. You rest up, Rae!"

"Wait, she's staying with me?" X asked, incredulous.

Jinx frowned, swatting at X with her hand, "Duh! She has no where to go! And there's no way I'm taking her to my place. Who knows what the guys will do to her when she's in this state. So here she stays, got that?"

X growled but didn't protest, "Fine."

"Uh, I could always…" Raven started, playing the part but knowing she wouldn't actually leave.

"No way!" Jinx told her, just like she had planned. "You're injured! You stay here! And X," Jinx turned on the guy, a threatening look in her eyes, "Don't even get any ideas."

"Hey! I'm not gonna do anything to her." X assured, sighing.

Jinx nodded, satisfied as she left with a wave of her hand.

* * *

Raven looked down at the bowl of soup that had been set before her, wondering if it might contain poison. X rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what she must be thinking, and picked it up. He grabbed another spoon and took a bite, swallowing loudly so she could see he wasn't trying to kill her.

Assured now, Raven ate it. Very cautiously though.

Sighing, X got up from his seat next to her bed. "I don't know why you don't trust me. If you ask me, it should be the other way around. How do I know an enemy of mine or the cops didn't send you here to capture me?"

Raven almost dropped the bowl, _He's smart. I better be careful from now on…_

"I don't even know anything about you besides that you're a killer," Raven muttered. "Why are you even helping me anyway? You don't have to be obligated to. It's not like helping people will compensate for what you've done."

Raven was surprised when X laughed. "You think that's why I help people? To compensate for my crimes? That's the first time anyone's told me that."

"Then why do you help people? You kill people, but you help people? I don't get it," Raven was growing frustrated. It was harder to get into this guy's head than she thought it would be.

"Didn't you listen to Jinx at all when she explained why I killed?" X walked up to the bed, an apple in hand.

"She said you killed bad people," Raven pointed out. "But no matter what it's still killing. Why kill? Why didn't you just become a cop or something?"

"One," X started, pulling out a knife in front of Raven's face. Raven's eyes widened, looking at the knife. Had he found out? However, she let out a sigh of relief when X pulled the knife away and started to skin the apple while saying, "I don't like cops. I think they're useless."

"And two," he stopped peeling the apple to put his face close to Raven's, breathing out, "To the rest of the world, I'm dead."

_Dead? What does he mean? _Raven thought as he moved back. X started to skin the apple again until he finished. Raven watched as the long, swirling skin peel landed on the floor. Its skin was shiny red, the perfect kind to eat.

"You don't like the skin?" Raven asked, deciding to stray away from the earlier topic and come back to it later. She didn't want to look suspicious, but she tucked it away in her memory to ask him about what he meant when the time was right.

"No, that's not it." X told her, taking a bite of the peeled apple. When he swallowed, he explained, "I hate the color red."

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**I hope this makes up for my lack of updating fast. I'm sorry everyone! :( I'll try to be faster. Like I said I was stuck. **

**THANKS SO MUCH TO IVY FOR HELPING ME GET OVER THAT!**

**I'd still be stuck on their awkward, first moments together if it weren't for you! Anyway, next chapter, more RedxRae!! XD They'll be spending a long time together. :D **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	5. Chapter 4: This Animal I Have Become

**Ahh!! Again, I'm sorry for the late update. XP I have been really lazy and I just can't seem to be getting any inspiration and motivation to write lately. It may just be my laziness. Sorry. **

**So here's the next chapter everyone! Thanks for putting up with me. :)**

**Disclaimer: Eh, don't own.**

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**Chapter 4- This Animal I Have Become **

Raven was surprised when she heard a gunshot and shot up, almost screaming out in pain when her wound protested to the quick movement.

"Morning, sunshine," X greeted, cocking the gun again and aiming for a target. He pulled the trigger and the bullet lodged itself into the head of the photo taped to the target.

"Is this how you always wake your guests?" Raven growled, hating that she was awoken so early.

"Hmm, I don't know." Red X shrugged, putting the gun back in its holster. "You're the first long-term guest I've had."

"What time is it?" Raven asked, tucking that new piece of information in the back of her head with the already million of other questions she had for X.

"2 o' clock in the morning," X answered. "I'm usually not up this early, but since you're here I have to be up."

"Why?" Raven snorted. "As if I'd wake up at this insane hour."

"How do I know you won't shoot a bullet in my own head like I did him?" X jerked his thumb back to the picture.

Raven squinted to get a better look. "Isn't that…" her eyes widened when she recognized the face. It was the face of none other than the city's mayor. Did that mean that he was X's next target? She had to warn the others…

"That, my dear," X stated, his voice growing cold. "Is the scum of the earth that I kill."

"Scum? Why would someone who helps the city be scum?" Raven turned towards X, her voice confused.

"Huh," X huffed, leaning back in his chair. "You obviously don't know him well enough."

"Isn't he the mayor?" Raven questioned, growing more confused. Was there a connection between this guy and the mayor? Is that why he seemed to hate him so much?

"Mayor," X snorted. "Yeah, he's the mayor. A pretty bad one at that."

"Why?" Raven asked again.

X narrowed his eyes at Raven, "You sure ask a lot of questions."

_Shit, _Raven thought, panicked although she didn't show it. _I'm giving myself away! I've never done this badly before! _

Shrugging and trying to look meek, Raven muttered, "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Curiosity killed the cat," X quoted Raven from before, picking up another apple from the bowl on the table.

"And satisfaction brought it back," Raven countered, quoting from Jinx.

"So it did," X smiled, pulling out a knife and peeling the apple. Raven watched, curiously.

"By the way, why do you hate the color red?" Raven asked, referring to last night.

X paused midway in his peeling, his eyes narrowing again suspiciously. This girl confused him. Sometimes she was clueless, but other times she appeared to know more than she let on. Just which was true? Returning to his peeling, X shrugged the thought away. "I just hate it."

Raven peered at X curiously again before turning around and going back to sleep. X was like a puzzle, many of the pieces missing and many of the pieces hard to put together. But he would be a puzzle worth solving.

-X-x-X-

(A/N: Okay, so I wasn't planning on introducing this character till WAY later…but a song I have currently come to love, "Animal I Have Become" by 3 Days Grace, inspired me to put this earlier. Btw, the italics are the lyrics to the song.)

_I can't escape this hell_

She practically jumped at the smallest noise, even through the door was only creaking open. However, she had reason to.

_So many times I've tried_

Peering through the glass of the room that held her captive, she almost jumped back as if she had been electrocuted when she saw who had come.

_But I'm still caged inside_

Her body trembled; her voice came out in little scared squeaks as she tried to run away. She ran to the back of the glass room, trying to escape. She scratched at the glass, trying to get out of here. Her voice came out in panicked screeches.

_Somebody get me through this nightmare_

"It's no use running away," a voice echoed throughout the room. She quickly turned around, her blue eyes widening with fear as a figure approached her. "You should know that by now."

_I can't control myself_

Shaking her head and whimpering, she backed away, clinging to the wall. "No!" She screamed, holding her hands up to protect herself, although it was useless. "NO!"

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?_

She screamed again when she was grabbed roughly. "No! No!"

"Don't fight it." the figure hissed. "No matter how much you fight it, too much is in your blood already. You won't be able to resist the change."

"NO!"

_No one will ever change this animal I have become  
_

"NO!" She screamed again, her eyes growing big at the sight of the familiar syringe. "No!" She trashed wildly. "NO!"

The figure grunted, struggling with the sudden strength she got. Working quickly, he grabbed her arm firmly, sticking the needle in. How much he longed for the days when she was able to be manipulated, but no longer was she stupid. She knew what he was doing, but she had learned too late. She wouldn't be able to fight it anymore. Thirteen years of tests and serums were in her. It was practically irreversible now.

_Help me believe it's not the real me_

"NO!" She screamed one last time, her eyes growing wide as the serum was injected into her. Her pupils narrowed slightly as her screams became growls. She stopped trashing, her body trembling with the change now.

_Somebody help me tame this animal_

"That's a good girl," the figure murmured, petting her now that she had calmed down. Her eyes were like his, blood-craving, the innocence once in them long gone. "Are you hungry?"

She growled her response, her fingers itching to clamp around human flesh.

_I can't escape myself_

"Alright then," he smirked, pointing to the open door in her room. It was only when she was like this when she was allowed to leave. "Go hunt."

Obeying, she ran out, her feet moving at inhuman speed following the scent of delicious human flesh that no human would be able to smell.

Only would this beast she had now become be able to do this.

_So many times I've lied_

Faster, faster, her feet went. Closer, closer, to her prize she got.

_But there's still rage inside_

Building up in the back of her throat, she released a piercing growl, pouncing onto the lone human she had been looking for.

The helpless human turned, not having any time to react as she jumped, her eyes deadly. The human screamed for only a second before her teeth were clamped around his neck, snapping it as her teeth tore into the flesh.

_Somebody get me through this nightmare_

Blood stained her clothes, and had she been normal she would have screamed in horror. But she wasn't. In fact, she was pleased by the crimson liquid, licking the dripping blood from the wound she had caused.

_I can't control myself_

She wanted blood and flesh. Oh gosh, how much she **wanted **it. How much she **craved **it. It was insane in how quickly it consumed her as she tore more of the flesh away, eating it and the blood.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?_

"AHH!" Her head snapped to the screamer as a woman appeared from the shadows, taking in the sight of the girl drenched in blood eating away her used to be boyfriend.

_No one will ever change this animal I have become  
_

Smiling, her used to be white teeth now tainted red, she let go the body, racing after the warm flesh that had run away.

_Help me believe it's not the real me_

"AHH!" The woman screamed again, falling to the ground as the girl attacked her from behind, scratching at her bare back.

The girl grabbed the horrified woman's face, smiling wildly as she twisted it, snapping her neck as well.

_Somebody help me tame this animal I have become_

Laughing crazily, she watched as the woman fell limp, the still frightening look forever on her face.

Like Cinderella, the spell that had been cast on her was beginning to wear off as she stopped laughing, taking in the dead woman and the not too far away dead body of her partner, or what was left of it.

_Help me believe it's not the real me_

She backed away from the body, staring at her bloody hands in horror.

_Somebody help me tame this animal_

Her head spun around as she looked back and forth from the two bodies.

_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

Looking back at her bloody hands, she put them towards her face in guilt, covering her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the two people she had just killed.

_Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell  
_

Opening her mouth, the blood from her hands falling from her fingers into her mouth, she could still taste the coppery taste of the fresh blood. It disgusted her.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become_

Her mouth open wide, she let out another piercing scream, one of pain, guilt, and horror.

_Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become_

Laughter. Turning around abruptly, she looked for the source of the laughter that had interrupted her scream. Her eyes grew panicked, and a voice in her head screamed at her to run, but her body was frozen as she watched the figure walk out of the shadows and towards her.

_Help me believe it's not the real me_

The figure looked at her with a lone, blue eye, the other covered by an eye-patch. He smiled wickedly, "Well done, Tessa."

_Somebody help me tame this animal_ _  
_

-X-x-X-

Red X jolted awake, gasping for the air he had forgotten to take in. His hands were shaking, whether with fright or fury he had no idea. Why had he even fallen asleep?

"X?" a voice called out, worried and frightened.

Red X looked up, surprised to see that Raven had gotten out of bed and now stood in front of him, her face holding genuine concern. "Are you alright? "

X looked around, finding himself back at home in the warehouse. The dream, or well, nightmare he had been having vanished. It been so vivid, like he was actually there. The screams of the two people he had been watching getting killed still rung in his ears. He had chills running down his spine as he thought of that deadly, vicious look in those eyes of the beast that had killed them. It was revolting.

"X?" X looked up back at Raven, who was now looking panicked. X wondered how he looked like to her. Like a frightened little kid? "What happened?"

"It's nothing," X muttered, getting and swaying slightly. His feet were uneasily shaking, something they never did. He had really been scared.

Raven quickly grabbed X's arm and supported him, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. X looked at her, surprised, "Your wound…"

"It's alright, I'm more worried about you," Raven told him. And it was the truth. She **was** worried about him, and she couldn't comprehend to why.

Normally, X would have protested and say he could stand on his own, but he was too uneasy and shocked to do so. "Why are you helping me?" X asked as Raven led him to the bed, allowing him to sit. "Wasn't I just a killer to you?"

"You're different," Raven grudgingly admitted. "I mean, a killer who only kills bad guys and helps out the weak? It's like you're a hero, just…doing it the wrong way."

X looked at Raven curiously. She had been the only one to tell him that. In fact, she had been the only one who had been so curious to why he did what he did. It bothered him in a way, but at the same time he was kind of glad that someone had actually shown they cared enough to want to get to know him better.

"I don't find it the wrong way," X murmured, replying to her previous statement and looking away. "It's the only way I know."

"Either way though, don't you think killing is wrong?" Raven asked.

X sighed, "In a way, I sometimes think it's wrong and feel guilty when I take someone's life. But it's always overpowered by the feeling that I get when I know they won't be able to do what they did again."

"That's a twisted way of feeling," Raven said, frowning.

X chuckled, "I sometimes tell myself that."

Becoming curious, Raven asked, "Even if you say that, do you actually enjoy killing?"

Frowning, X replied softly, "No, I don't."

"Then why do it?"

"Because," X faced her. "That's just how this animal I've become acts."

Raven became confused at his words. "What do you mean?"

"It's not like I wanted to be like this." X explained, the look on his face becoming uncomfortable. "It's just that killing has become like an instinct to me, like it is to a vicious animal."

"Oh," Raven murmured, understanding now.

X had been trying to tell her the entire time. His situation was almost like hers was. It wasn't their choice, it was their duty. Just like how Raven in the beginning didn't want to infiltrate X's place, but had to because she was only one who could. It was the same with X.

He didn't choose to kill.

He **had** to kill.

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**Ah, I enjoyed writing this chapter; I especially liked the part with Tessa. :D I know, I'm weird. XP And I'm glad I finally got the 'ice-breaker' between X and Raven over with. It'll be much easier to write their relationship now that they kind of have a mutual understanding with each other. **

**Um, some parts here might be confusing, and if there are feel free to ask me about them! Because I can sometimes be confusing. XD**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	6. Chapter 5: Weird Feelings

**Ah, please forgive me for such late updating. This story has kind of taken a backseat to "Baby, Be Mine", which I'm working on right now as well as slowly working on the revision of ITS and some new ideas. I know, way too much, that's why I'm trying to work bit by bit. **

**Don't worry, I'll get this done, it's just progressing very slowly. So I apologize again. Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights at all to owning TT. All I own is, sadly but fortunately, Tessa. **

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**Chapter 5- Weird Feelings**

Raven looked at the sleeping form of X. He breathed steadily, his chest moving up and down, and appeared as if nothing could wake him. But looks could be deceiving.

Stealthily, Raven tiptoed away, walking towards a door she remembered to be a restroom. Knowing X, he wouldn't hide any cameras or electrical device finding contraptions in there. He was too modest. And that is what gave Raven the upper hand, although at some times when Red X didn't seem like such a bad person, she felt a little guilty for using his humbleness against him.

Putting down the cover of the toilet seat and sitting down, Raven touched the tiny little communicator Cyborg had made especially for this mission. It was so tiny, and half-implanted in her ear, making it almost impossible to find. "Richard?" she whispered softly, not wanting to stir Red X beyond the door. He was probably skillful in eavesdropping without being noticed.

"_Raven?_" Richard's static voice replied. "_How's everything over there?_"

"Alright," she responded, quietly. "Red X is a little tricky to get by, but he hasn't caught onto me yet." Why did she feel a twinge of guilt when she said that?

"_Good, anything else you want to tell me?_" Richard asked, being all business.

"You may want to keep an eye on the mayor." She informed him. "I think he may be X's next target."

"_Hmm_," Richard mused, growing angry. "_That X really is heartless_."

Raven almost wanted to shout back, "That's wrong! He isn't!" but stopped herself from doing so. Why the heck had she even thought of it? X was the enemy! She was supposed to be capturing him, not defending him!

"I better go, Richard. X may find me." Before Richard could respond, Raven quickly disconnected their conversation. She pressed her palm to her forehead, wondering if she had a fever. _I almost defended the man I'm supposed to apprehend. What the heck is wrong with me? _

Shaking it away, hoping the weird feeling she was getting would also go away, Raven got up and walked out of the bathroom. X was still asleep on the bed, looking peaceful and not at all dangerous as Raven came up and looked down at him. In fact, Raven thought he looked kind of cute…

_Wait! _Raven stopped herself, shaking her head more furiously now. _What the hell am I thinking?! I did __**not **__just find X cute! Ugh…_

"It must be the blood loss," she muttered softly to herself, although she knew better. It assured her though to think it could be due to something medical instead of her weird emotions. It had to be the lack of blood in her system to make her think crazy things.

"I should be the one on that bed." Chuckling to herself, Raven looked back at X. He was almost like a little kid, his body sprawled out, his lips parted…and looking very soft and inviting…

_GAH!! _Raven screamed in her head, almost ripping her hair out if the shoulder wound hadn't stopped her. _I need a distraction…and preferably something that's not X…_

Looking around the warehouse, Raven spotted the small kitchen and decided it was time for some breakfast. Moving over there quietly, as to not disturb X, she grabbed a skillet and some eggs from the small refrigerator. Although her cooking was not all that fabulous, it would be better than standing there and wondering what X's lips would feel like against hers…

_COOKING!! _She thought angrily, trying to fight away the blush that creeping up her cheeks. Raven Roth did not blush, and especially over a guy. Going back to her distraction, she chanted in her head, _Think only of cooking scramble eggs without setting the warehouse on fire…Think only of cooking without making a fire!_

-x-X-x-

Jericho hated confronting his boss. No, wait, correction: his _**father**_. Why? Well, would you like to confront a man who spent the twenty years of your life testing inhuman serums on you instead of raising you and taking you to school like normal fathers did?

Despite hating it though, he still did it. Jericho looked at the door, letting out a silent sigh before he knocked on it.

"Come in," a rough voice answered.

Jericho opened the door, a tad bit surprised to see his brother already there talking with their father. But the surprise did not last long on his face before it became impassive again. His brother would be there.

The truth was, because of the many years of being tested on, Jericho had stopped talking. While most believed he had actually become mute, he just refused to talk. Not that he needed to. His brother, Grant, did most of the talking for him.

"Finally!" His brother grumbled as he crossed his arms against his chest. "What took you so long, bro?"

Jericho gave his brother a slight shrug before he turned back to his father, his green eyes clouding over a bit. Out of habit, he grimaced. It was no secret how much Jericho loathed his father. His brother knew, the scientists who had experimented on him knew, and even his father who had allowed it knew. But Jericho was his father's pawn, and had no way to escape from his clutches.

"Jericho," his father stated, nodding to acknowledge him.

_Don't you dare say my name,_ Jericho thought angrily, wanting to say it to him. But he kept his mouth shut tight.

"So why'd you call us here, dad?" Grant asked, turning back to look at his father. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Grant had inherited most of their father's qualities, except for his dark brown hair which came from their dead mother. Jericho had his mother's eyes and facial features, but he also had his father's blond hair. It had been his father's natural color before it had faded to white with the serum tests.

"I have a couple of jobs for you two," their father informed them as he propped up his arms and laced his fingers together to rest his chin on. "The Titans just called, informing me that I would be under their tight security because they believe a killer is after me."

_I'm not surprised,_ Jericho muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes. Of course something like this would happen. Who didn't want to kill his father besides those that benefitted from him? And those Titans were so clueless. They didn't know who the _**real**_ villain was.

"So, I want Grant to come with me to make sure the Titans don't become suspicious of my doings, and while I'm away, I want you to oversee to Tessa, understand Jericho?"

Jericho snapped out of his thoughts and nodded curtly to answer his father. Turning to his brother, he was disgusted to find that his brother looked _excited_. But then again, it was not only looks that Grant had inherited from their father but personality as well.

Not able to stand them both anymore, he nodded to them to signal he was leaving then turned and never looked back.

-x-X-x-

They held her in a glass room, one that used to actually be the outside teahouse gazebo his mother had loved. Jericho too had loved it.

He remembered the tea time his mother used to hold there when his family used to be happy. It seemed like a far away dream now as Jericho closed his eyes, remembering the scent of the jasmine tea his mother loved. He could see her sitting at her glass table, her Wedgewood Johnson Brothers tea set laid out in front of her. He could see her smile as she lifted the tea cup decorated with pink Britain castles to her face so she could inhale that delicious scent.

But that dream shattered as he opened his eyes and came back to reality, facing the glass house that used to be a sanctuary. Now the place of happy memories was a prison.

"Are you here to replace your father, Jericho?" a scientist asked him as she stood beside him, holding a clipboard with the day's statistics on them.

Jericho nodded, forcing him to smile instead of glare at her. How could this woman watch and keep track of how a monster child is developing? How could this woman not feel pity or guilt when his father injected another serum into the child, making her more beastly by the day? It was disgusting.

"I see, well, she's fine for the most part. Last night's serum did not last long and now the aftereffects are kicking in. It seems she has a slight fever." She shook her head, sighing, "I'm actually disappointed in her. You think she would be immune to trivial things like fevers with how many serums we've tested on her. Some of that was our finest work."

_Bitch,_ he wanted to scream at her. She dismissed this child like she was without feelings.

He only nodded in response, walking off towards the house before he actually acted with his urge and killed the woman. Pausing by the door, Jericho's eyes traveled to the white nameplate that had "Tessa" typed out onto it along with the date she joined and the date and time when she was last tested on. He had a nasty taste in his mouth. She really was treated like nothing other than a test subject.

At least the scientists and his father treated him like he was actually somewhat human, although he still loathed them with a passion.

Not bothering to knock—it seemed useless since the girl would probably be too frightened or worn to answer—he opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. The teahouse had definitely been renovated a lot. The plants that had decorated it were gone, replaced with generic furniture like a couch, dresser with a vanity mirror, a small desk, and a bed which had a lump atop of it covered in blankets. Carefully, Jericho walked over to hover over the lump.

Very slowly, the covers were opened a little to reveal baby blue eyes set against pale skin. Jericho was actually taken aback by the amount of emotion in them. They held fear, anger, disgust, and shame all mixed together.

And then to surprise him even further, she hissed, "Are you one of _**them**_?"

Her voice was harsh, softness long gone from it.

Jericho shook his head, holding his hand up in a peace signal. The girl narrowed her eyes however, still suspicious. It was sad. She had come to not trust anyone.

To assure her he wasn't going to hurt her, Jericho knelt to be at eye level with her and smiled. Her baby blue eyes searched his emerald ones, and she didn't find a drop of insincerity or deceit in them.

Slowly, she released the covers so he could see she was really thin, too thin for someone her age. He guessed she was about thirteen, probably just starting adolescence. Her hair, which once must have been a shiny auburn, now hung limply with a dull hue of red.

It was obvious she was malnourished.

Frowning, Jericho looked around and spotted the food tray on the desk. He pointed at it, his actions showing he was urging her to eat.

"I'm not touching that _**stuff**_," she crinkled her nose in disgust. "_**They**_ could have done something to it."

Jericho looked at her surprised. He hadn't thought of that. Frowning again, he got up and walked towards the food tray. He sniffed the bowl of porridge, and his frown deepened. Even he wouldn't eat this. It reeked with chemicals; not harmful ones but ones definitely contributing to their "research" out there. Really, did those people out there think she was _stupid_?

He turned back to her, motioning for her to wait. Jericho then walked out of room. Tessa sat, waiting on her bed for maybe fifteen minutes before Jericho returned, a tray of food in hand. Except this food didn't look disgusting; it actually looked appetizing.

Tessa could hear her stomach growl as Jericho set it down in front of her, motioning again for her to eat. Tentatively, she picked up something red and shiny. It had a little brown stem sticking out from the top, and upon closer inspection she could see little dots on the skin. She had no idea what it was, having never seen or heard of it before.

She looked at Jericho, asking what it was. "Apple," he mouthed, again urging her to eat it.

Tessa looked back at the red apple, and then took a small bite out of it. Her senses quickly took in the sweet taste of the apple and the delicious scent. She took a bigger bite this time, smiling a little at Jericho as she chewed.

Jericho smiled back, happy that she was smiling. He found that he liked Tessa, and that he would enjoy some real company for once.

-x-X-x-

"Um…"

Red X had awoken a while ago, and was surprised to find Raven cooking in his kitchen. And then Raven had nervously placed a plate of…stuff…in front of him.

"Are you sure you're not trying to kill me?" X asked, poking the jiggling burnt pile.

"So I'm not the best cook," Raven mumbled. "And it's hard to cook with one arm practically immobilized."

To her surprise, he took the plate in his hands and took a small bite, "I guess it's not so bad. But from now on, I handle the cooking."

"Deal," Raven was relieved. She had never liked cooking.

"What made you want to cook for me in the first place?" X questioned as he took another bite, not minding the burnt taste. When he had first learned to cook he had eaten worse. "Aren't I a scary killer?"

Raven snorted, "You don't seem very scary for a serial killer."

"That's because you haven't seen me kill."

Raven shivered a little bit at that revelation. What was X really like when he killed?

"You…" Raven started, only to pause to see if she should ask. Red X turned to look at her, waiting. "You said before that you had to do this, but is that really the only reason why you kill? There's no ulterior motive? Like…revenge."

A tense silence settled between them afterwards, and Raven watched as Red X placed the plate down and sighed. He looked at Raven, his eyes calculating. "Yes, in a way, I do kill for revenge."

Raven was little saddened by that fact. But it also reminded her of herself. She had become a cop for revenge against her father; X had become a killer for revenge against whomever. Noting something in what he said, she then asked, "What do you mean by 'in a way'?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," X growled, narrowing his eyes suspiciously again.

"Hey, I'm only trying to get to know you better." Raven grumbled back. "Like you can't trust me, I can't trust you. And that's only because we don't know each other on a personal level. How do I know I won't end up like I did with that gang? How can I trust you so that I know you won't do the same?"

Raven was shaking now, the fear taking over her body as the images of her real past flashed in her mind. She could feel that cold, vice grip on her arms as she stared into those eyes that she hated so much. The pain she had felt came back, and she could hear the sobbing pleas of her mother. Raven hadn't realized that she became so wrapped up in flashbacks that she had crouched down into the feeble position she used to rock back and forth in, muttering reassurances to herself.

"Hey!" X crouched down. "Snap out of it!" He reached out to grab her arm.

"Don't touch me!" Raven shrieked on a reflex as she flinched away from X's fingers. Blinking away the tears that had built up, Raven found herself back in X's place as the pictures of her past faded to the back of her mind. She hadn't freaked out like that since ever she was thirteen.

"You alright now?" X asked, his tone surprisingly soft.

"I-I…" Raven stammered, realizing she had lost it in front of a complete stranger. She hadn't even shown her friends this side of her before. It was embarrassing. Raven's cheeks flushed as she stared at her feet.

Red X looked a little awkward, not entirely sure how to handle this situation. After all, he had never really experienced how to handle hormonal women. Except maybe Jinx, but it was never this bad.

"Look," he sighed, sitting down next her and running his fingers through his hair in uncertain movements. "I don't know what happened exactly with you and that gang…but I promise I won't hurt you. I mean, I may be a killer, but I still have my morals."

"People can always lie," Raven muttered, her eyes tightening. For a moment, she had almost forgotten who she was and wanted to act like 'Raven Roth' instead of 'Raven Taine'. But when X had mentioned that gang, she had finally snapped back.

"I don't," X reassured her. "I may hide stuff, but I never outright lie to anyone."

It took Raven a while to realize he was right. It kind of made her hurt to know that the person who was really lying was her.

"Really," X repeated. "You can trust me."

_Yeah, _Raven thought, giving X a small smile to show that she did trust him. _But you can't trust me._

-x-X-x-

"We should change your bandages," X uttered as he moved to go look for bandages. "They're probably soaked with blood already."

Raven only nodded, still thinking about how she was lying to X. It was her job, and she especially shouldn't feel guilt because she was tricking a _killer_. But she did.

In fact, she felt the opposite of what she should be feeling. Every time she smiled at X, she actually felt happy to be there with him. Every time he touched her, she felt her heart flutter instead feeling disgusted. Every time he smiled at her, she felt all mushy inside.

Ugh, it was like she was some schoolgirl in love.

"Don't move," X grumbled as she sighed, almost making him cut into her wound. He held scissors slightly poised above the bandages.

"Sorry," Raven mumbled back as she watched X cut away the bloody bandages. There were some skin crusted with dry blood and he quickly cleaned that away before applying a disinfectant to the wound. He then started wrapping her shoulder snugly.

Being so close, Raven caught a whiff of pleasant smell and unconsciously leaned closer to X, inhaling. What was that scent? It didn't smell like any shampoo she knew, nor did it smell like cologne or aftershave. It was subtle, yet very sweet and soothing.

"Um…are you planning on letting go anytime soon?"

Crap, she had lost herself again. Raven opened her eyes to find that she had wrapped her arm around X's neck, bringing him closer to her as she breathed in the delicious scent. X had his face tilted up towards her, putting their faces in a close proximity. Raven's voice caught in her throat as she stared into his blue eyes. They were deep like the ocean waves(1), and vaguely familiar.

"Have we" Raven found herself saying, "meet before?"

X looked at her funny, "Not that I know of." Taking a closer look, X finally took in the features of her, something he hadn't bothered to do before. Her skin was pale, her hair a shade of indigo, and her eyes were violet. It wasn't everyday you saw violet eyes. X would certainly have remembered if he had bumped into her before.

Both of them realized at the same time they were staring, and both quickly looked away. They weren't sure why they felt embarrassed and weird.

Looking for a distraction of some sorts, X found that Raven was still wearing his shirt and sweats, and he didn't have many clothes to share between the two of them. "Why don't we go buy you some clothes?"

Raven turned to look at X, her eyes wide with surprise. "But…I have no way to pay for them."

"That's alright," X told her as he got up, gathering the tools he had used. "I'll take care of it."

"You don't have to," Raven argued.

"Do you really want to keep wearing my clothes?"

He had a point. Raven didn't argue further when he contacted Jinx to come along with them.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Jericho and Grant don't belong to me. Jericho has shown up in TT, but I don't think they said he was Slade's son. I think (I'm not totally sure) that Jericho and Grant are Slade's sons in the comics however. So I just decided to add them in with Tessa.**

**Yeah! Next chapter, Raven gets to go to the mall with X and Jinx! That'll be fun to see. :) Maybe I'll add in a surprising twist too. :D**

**Be totally honest, how did you guys like the part with Tessa and Jericho? I think apples are becoming a symbol in this story. I unconsciously made both Tessa and X eat them. XD**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, and especially bearing with me through my lack of updating!**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria **


	7. Victoria’s Secret isn’t a Secret Anymore

**Alright! It's shopping time!! Get ready for funniness. XD And have I mention how much I love finding songs that relate to my story? I haven't? Then I will! I LOVE finding songs relating to my story!! **

**Right now I have "Better Than Me" by Hinder on repeat. The lyrics were so perfect at some times, and it gave me the cutest idea for this chapter…hehe. ;)**

**So I hope you guys enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: Yes, I became SO rich in today's screwed up economy now that I have bought TT…haha, I wish…**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 6- Victoria's Secret isn't a Secret Anymore…**

"Jinx…you don't have to overdo it."

Red X suddenly wished he hadn't thought of this idea. Or better yet, asked Jinx to take Raven shopping. Jinx was a crazy shopper, and didn't leave the mall until all of her favorite stores had been visited at least once, maybe even twice.

"Overdo it? This is nothing!" Jinx complained. "We're only going to Express, Old Navy, GAP, Anchor Blue, Hot Topic, Pac Sun, Papaya, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and White House/Black Market. And that's only for clothes! We have shoes to buy, and accessories, and—"

X quickly cut in before he got a headache, "Jinx, does Raven _**really**_ need all of that stuff? I mean, she's only staying with me temporarily, not forever."

Raven wished she didn't feel a little sad at that piece of information, but she did good to hide it as she nodded in agreement. "X is right." _And I definitely don't want to shop that __**much.**_

Jinx pouted, hating how Raven was on X's side. If Raven had been on her side, then she could have just said they outvoted X…but she didn't want to discomfort Raven.

"Fine," she whined, crossing off half of the stores she had listed in a notebook. "We'll only go to the necessary stores then…"

Looking back down at her list to the last store, a wicked smirk graced her face as an evil plot formed in her head…

-x-X-x-

"Um…Jinx…are you sure about these?"

Red X, who had been slowly becoming impatient as Jinx went through the racks and handed Raven piles of clothes, became stunned as Raven stepped out of the dressing room.

She was trying on a simple outfit: a form-fitting blouse, dark skinny jeans, and gladiator sandals. But it wasn't the outfit that caught his attention, but rather how Raven herself looked in it. She was gorgeous, her curves accented in the right places as Jinx made her turn to look at the outfit fully.

"X! Would you stop drooling over Raven and tell me what you think?" Red X snapped out of his trance to glare at Jinx who was impatiently huffing.

"It's…alright…" X muttered as he turned away to prove Jinx wrong. He wasn't interested in Raven that much…

Rolling her eyes at him, Jinx found something rather interesting and handed Raven the next outfit. Raven blushed when she saw what it was, but Jinx smiled and reassured her that it was okay. Of course, Raven only went along with it to keep up on her act.

However, when she stepped out, she was slightly satisfied to see Red X's face lose all color. The dress Jinx had given her left very little to the imagination. Of course, she didn't like it, but it was worth to wear it to see X's reaction. A small smile crept up her face when X turned away.

"No way! She's definitely not going out like that!" X insisted, still not looking at Raven.

"Are you scared that she might get picked up by other guys and ditch you?" Jinx teased, making both of them blush.

"I'm just scared that she might get attacked if she prances around in that…thing," X muttered under his breath. It made Raven feel all warm and fuzzy inside to think that X was trying to protect her.

"Maybe she should only wear it for your enjoyment only then…"

With Jinx saying that, the two looked at each other, and then turned away, their faces practically like cherries. Raven quickly went back in the dressing room and didn't touch the dress after that. Although she was sometimes sorely tempted…

-x-X-x-

"How many more stores are there!" X groaned, not liking that he was stuck carrying the bags. Really, what did they think he was? A pack mule? (Uh…duh, you're at the mall with two girls…you're going to get stuck with the bags X. LoL! XD)

Raven had changed into one of the outfits she had bought: a navy blue tank top, black shorts that weren't too short but not too long, and flats. She had refused to get any accessories, not really one for having too many jewelry and bags hanging from her. She allowed Jinx, after some irresistible puppy pouts (coughIvycough), to get a black tote for her.

"There's only one more stop to go after this." Jinx informed him as she smiled widely. X narrowed his eyes. Jinx was up to something.

"But you know," Jinx mentioned out of the blue, her face looking overly innocent. "I'm getting kind of hungry. Why don't you go with Raven to the last store while I buy us some food, X? I'll even take the bags."

X was still suspicious of Jinx, but it sounded tempting to let Jinx take all the bags he was carrying. And he was kind of hungry himself, and he was sure Raven was too. "Alright, fine."

Jinx still had the wide, fake smile on her face as she took the bags, "Alright! I'll meet you guys at the food court when you're done. Here's the last store."

After slipping a folded piece of paper in X's hands, Jinx quickly dashed off and disappeared. X looked after her, his eyes still mistrustful. Unfolding the paper, X read the last store and nearly choked.

"What's the matter?" X looked up at Raven, his cheeks notably turning redder. Getting no answer from X, she walked around and looked at the piece of paper. Her own eyes widened as her face became flushed.

In Jinx's sharp scrawl, the last store that wasn't crossed off was "_Victoria's Secret_".

Raven's eyes nervously sifted to X's direction, seeing he was still blushing over this discovery. "Jinx," he hissed.

Smiling apologetically at Raven, while still not trying to blush profusely, X said, "Um…would you be able to…you know…do this by yourself?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Raven managed to say, "Um…I…I still have my shoulder wound…" (I'm so glad I decided on shooting her shoulder…XD)

_Damn, I forgot._ X moaned in his head. _That Jinx…she knew this would happen…_

"I-I guess…there's no choice…"

Taking in a deep breath, Red X started to walk in the direction of what would soon become his worst nightmare…

Or maybe not…

-x-X-x-

Raven paused as blushed again. She knew _**he**_ was out there, probably also blushing as he waited for her to call him. Of course, today had to be the day where they were barely any workers and a mandatory inventory check. None of them happened to have the time to stop and help Raven out. (So that may not happen in real life…just go with me here.)

Making sure again that the…erm…really…_**nice**_ bra was in place, she decided to finally call X to hook it. "Um…X…" Her face heated up as she heard a sharp intake of breath outside.

Very slowly, the door creaked open slightly then shut quickly. Raven was both relieved and kind of disappointed that X modestly kept his eyes casted down. "Alright…what do I need to do…?"

"J-just hook it in the back…"

There was another silence between them as she heard X shuffle awkwardly. She involuntarily shivered when she felt his fingers graze her skin, searching for the hook. Raven was surprised when X suddenly stiffened and pulled away, "Sorry…was that…uncomfortable?"

"No," Raven answered honestly. "It…it was actually quite the…opposite."

Another sharp intake. Raven wondered if soon the red coloring to her cheeks would become permanent; it seemed that way. His fingers returned to searching for the hook, this time his touch less tentative but still respectful.

He finally grasped the hooks, and did his best to pay attention to just hooking them. He let out a sigh of relief when they were hooked. He had never felt this nervous, not even when making his own time bomb.

Hearing a rustle of clothing and stuff, Red X looked up to see Raven had then pulled on a little robe over it. Although it didn't really hide anything. He suddenly wished he hadn't looked up. Raven was turned towards him, and he could clearly see the red tint in her cheeks. And the…err…clothes she wore accented her figure very nicely…

"Shit," he muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from her. His modesty was forgotten for the moment as he felt his heart pound in his chest, too captivated by Raven. Unconsciously he leaned towards her, and she towards him. Their faces were too close now, but they both were too caught up in each other to notice. "I don't think I can hold myself back anymore…"

"I don't think I can either," Raven murmured back to his surprise. Also shocking him, she was the first to make a move, grabbing X with her good arm and pulling her towards him, capturing his lips with her own.

She kissed him with such ferocity, wanting to confirm those emotions that were building up inside of her. She knew the moment their lips touched and her heart seemed to explode that she was right.

It wasn't long before X snapped out of his shocked state and returned her kiss with just as much intensity. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Shyly, Raven parted her lips, allowing him to enter. Soon their tongues were in heated battle.

After what seemed like hours, the two pulled away, panting for breath.

_Oh…god…_Raven thought as she just realized she had, well, technically made out with her enemy. And she had found it amazing. No, breathtaking was more exact word, literally.

Their eyes met again, and they just stared at each other for a moment. Their feelings had somehow been confirmed, and they both understood now that they were mutual. But…where to go from here?

"So…are you guys planning on another make-out session? If so, I'll leave."

"Jinx!" they both shrieked as they practically jumped at the sight of the pink-haired girl.

She smirked, "Having fun?"

"You!" X snapped back to reality, frowning. "This was all your evil little plan, wasn't it?"

"But it helped you," Jinx argued. "And wow, I wasn't expecting those results…it was even better! You practically skipped the first kiss part and went right ahead to making out."

"Jinx!" they both growled.

The said witch laughed, and for the rest of the time they spent in Victoria's Secret, Jinx helped Raven out.

Although you couldn't doubt that X was wondering what she was trying on…

-x-X-x-

"…"

Tessa scowled at the plain bowl of porridge the scientist set in front of her. Glaring up, she asked, "Where's Jericho?"

"Jericho is very busy, Tessa." the scientist informed her. "He has many things he needs to do. He can't always spend his time here wit—"

The scientist was cut off as the door was opened, a blond head poking in. He smiled at the scientist who blinked in surprise.

"Jericho!" Tessa threw back her seat, not minding that it fell to the ground, and ran towards the man who dropped a duffel bag by the door. She threw her arms around his tummy, hugging him as she smiled brightly, "I knew you'd come!"

Jericho smiled softly at Tessa, patting her head. "Jericho, you shouldn't give Tessa special treatment, it may interfere wit her pro—"

The scientist was again cut off as Jericho glared coldly at him. Shivering, the scientist decided to be smart and left. Now that they were alone, Tessa was practically bouncing up and down. "Did you bring some more apples?"

Jericho nodded, kneeling down and putting his hand by her ear, magically pulling an apple out of it. Clapping her hands in delight, Tessa took the apple. "Thank you, Jericho."

He only smiled his response, ruffling her hair. Frowning at how some of it easily fell off, he went back to his duffle bag and dug through it, pulling out a bottle of shampoo of conditioner. He held them out to Tessa, who looked at him questionably, "What's that?"

Jericho frowned again. That's right…Tessa had only been "scientifically cleaned" and didn't know what shampoo and conditioner, much less a real shower, was.

Sighing, Jericho got up and went to the dresser. After digging through a couple of drawers, he handed Tessa a water-proof suit and told her to put it on, without using any words of course. But Tessa understood him.

He then took her small hand in his own large one and led her to the connected bathroom of the teahouse, which had been built. Jericho then washed her hair delicately in the sink. He then taught her how to do it herself and how to soap and wash herself.

Tessa grasped these things easily, and soon Jericho was stuck waiting outside of the bathroom for her to finish showering. She came out wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe after a few minutes and allowed Jericho to dry her hair. He then let her dress and they ate together.

"Orange." Tessa stated as Jericho taught her the names of various fruits. He let her taste them, finding out what she liked and disliked.

She really liked apples, strawberries, oranges, grapes, and bananas. But she hated everything else.

He was surprised and pleased by how fast she caught on. He started to teach her a couple of other words and phrases besides fruit. He even mentioned how a family tree was made and who it consisted of.

"Do you have a brother, Jericho?" Tessa asked when Jericho was pointing them out on a family tree. He frowned as he thought of his brother Grant, who was really so different from him, but nodded to answer Tessa's question.

"Do _**I**_ have a brother?" she then asked, looking up at Jericho with her curious baby blue eyes.

He shrugged. As far as he knew, Tessa was an orphan. Tessa frowned at that, but then quickly smiled as she hugged Jericho again, "Then you'll be my brother, Jericho!"

He was taken aback by her words, but they melted his heart. He smiled back at Tessa, nodding his agreement to be her brother. Tessa smiled widely again, cuddling against his chest, "You're the best big brother I've ever had!"

Even if Jericho smiled at her, he couldn't help but feel like something about that statement was very wrong.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**I've decided to try at least adding Jericho/Tessa moments in each chapter. They're just so cute! :D But (gasp) Tessa totally forgot all about X!! Which is understandable because the last time they saw each other she was only 1…**

**But I loved the part with X and Raven the most. So cute!! Haha, now I should have X go buy tampons for her…LMAO!! XD**

**Bad Raven! You shouldn't seduce Red X so!! He'll attack you! And then you'll have bad memories…**

**But anyway, what did you guys think? Love to hear from you!**

**Thanks for the feedback for last chapter! To reply back to **_**lupine-eyes**_**, I noticed how you said I didn't mention much about the AU and realized you were right. I'll try adding more information about it next chapter. Thanks for pointing that out! And I agree with you about Jericho. He and X need more love...and appearances.**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	8. Dreams and Wishes Never Come True

**Sorry this chapter has taken three years for me to finally post! I'm sincerely sorry for how slowly I've worked on this story. I plan to finish it however!**

**Anyway, I give you the next chapter of VF! Thanks to everyone who read while I failed at updating. XD**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone but Tessa, Red X's alter ego, and [technically] Jericho and Grant's personalities (sorta).**

* * *

**Chapter 7- Dreams and Wishes Never Come True**

Raven remembered the exact moment she had met her friends at the police academy. She had been eating lunch when Richard had come to sit at the same table as her. He only nodded to acknowledge her and she briefly nodded back before returning to her own business. Victor had then come over, greeting Richard and sliding in next to him with Gar in tow. Raven almost considered moving to another table because they had become so noisy when her best friend Kori came and sat across from her. It was strange how she and Kori were friends since they were exact opposites, but the two had grown up with each other and found that while different, they got along just fine most of the time.

During the lunch Kori had somehow struck up a conversation with Richard and eventually Raven had been dragged into their conversation. She had then gotten into a heated discussion with Victor about the new type of gun that was coming out with Garfield interjecting with a stupid joke now and then. Soon after that, they all gathered at that table and their friendship was formed.

After they had all graduated from the academy, they had parted ways. Except for Kori and sometimes occasionally Victor, Raven had pretty much lost contact with the rest of the group. So she was little surprised a couple years later when Richard called her up and asked her if she wanted to join them as The Titans.

At first, she thought Richard was joking. After all, what kind of cheesy name was something like the Titans? And they were cops right? Why was he telling her to quit her job? But after a few more talks with Richard, she found out that The Titans was just another name for their team. They would still be cops but more a superior class of them, and they would specifically be based in Jump City, the biggest and central city of their state.

Richard had told her that he was gathering their old group, the best of their graduating class at the academy, and forming this super cop team. He wanted her skills as the best undercover agent and decoder.

He told her that he would be their leader as he was the best in tactics, strategies, and criminology.

Victor Stone, his right hand man, would be their weaponry and technologies expert.

Kori Anders would be their fighting arts master and master of languages since she knew a variety of different fighting styles and was fluent in over sixteen different languages.

Garfield Logan would be their scientist.

Together, they had all the skills they needed to be the best cops in the city.

So she accepted his offer, packed up all her stuff, and headed to Jump City to start her new life.

-x-X-x-

"Watch it brat!" the man glared at the little boy that fell to the ground after bumping into him. The boy sheepishly nodded and ran away fearfully.

Only when he was in the safety of the alleyway did the boy roll his eyes, grumbling, "Idiot." He smiled triumphantly as he pulled the man's wallet of his coat pocket, opening it and finding with satisfaction that there was a nice amount of money in it. He took the cash and whatever he could use to sell the man's identity to less than honest people before trashing the wallet.

"Nice work," a man's voice drawled, slow claps sounding throughout the alleyway.

The boy turned around, facing a man in a pretty nice looking business suit. He appeared to be in his early forties, some grey hairs making their way into his dark brown mane of hair that was slicked back. He had a stubble of hair on his chin making him appear more masculine as he walked towards the boy. "It takes some deft hands to have pulled that man's wallet from his pocket while not noticing. Good call bumping into him, it certainly did its job in distracting that foolish man."

"Who're you?" the boy asked, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring suspiciously.

The man smiled, "My name's Jackson Hanover, Jack for short. I'm the owner of the Hanover Incorporation. And you, my dear boy, have definitely caught my eye. Tell me, do you have any fighting skills?"

The boy reluctantly nodded to answer his question. He used to take self defense classes and now that he was living on the streets, fighting was something he definitely needed to know.

"How would you like to be trained to become an assassin?" the man asked.

The boy's eyes lit up at the word "assassin". This man would teach him how to kill? If that was true then maybe he would be able to complete his mission! He had no skills whatsoever now, but if this man taught him how to kill then he would gain the skills he needed and then…

He could save her.

The boy looked firmly at the man's face, meeting his eyes, "I would like to learn if you wish to teach me."

The man's smile grew wider, "Excellent. Tell me, what is your name?"

The boy hesitated, not wanting to give this man his name. The boy wasn't sure whether he should trust this man or not…but this man had money, power, and the skills that he desperately wanted, no, needed to have. This man would help him complete his mission.

So he told the man his name. The man nodded his head, approving, but said, "As an assassin though, you will need a different name." He motioned for the boy to come to him and when the boy did, he led the boy to his car. "What do you think of the name Red X?"

-x-X-x-

"Get up, boy! We are not done here!" Red X panted as he pushed himself up from the ground, screaming as he ran to attack once more. He held a knife out in his hand and swiped at the man, but the man dodged, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind the boy's back.

The boy screamed out in pain as the man pushed as much as he can without breaking the boy's arm. X dropped his knife and the man pushed him to the ground.

"Sloppy, once again, X." Jack sighed, letting go of the boy. "You attack with too much anger and that makes you sloppy."

"Who wouldn't get angry with the way you keep winning?" X retorted, getting up and rubbing his sore arm.

"My dear boy, an assassin does not fight with anger. An assassin fights calmly," Jack looked at X. "When one becomes angry, their mind does not think properly, and when one's mind does not think properly, they make mistakes that get them killed."

"Yeah, I know," X frowned, knowing that Jack was right. A person who made mistakes was a dead person. He had heard the saying from Jack so many times.

"Then do it properly," Jack chastised, throwing the knife back at X. X caught it and watched as Jack crouched into a fighting stance. "Now, attack me again!"

X ran towards Jack, knife out, eyes cold, and body tense. When the moment was right, he would go for the kill.

-x-X-x-

"Ugh!" Jack grunted as he fell to the ground, pinned down by X with a knife held at his throat. Jack smirked and held his hands up in defeat. "Very good X, you've improved greatly these past few years."

"Thanks," X mumbled, not used to praise as he got up.

Jack also got up and sighed, "I'm getting a bit too old for this." Jack dusted himself off and out of the corner of his eyes, looked at the boy he had picked up so long ago. It had been eight years since Jack had picked X off from the streets. At the age of sixteen, Red X was starting to grow into a young man. His voice had deepened, his body was starting to fill out more, and he had grown some inches since the last year and was still growing. Jack could see he would grow into a fine young man indeed. Someone who could definitely take over for Jack when it was his time to go.

"X," Jack called. X turned to face him and just as Jack was about to say something, his butler Jeremiah walked in.

"Sir, there is a man named Slade Wilson here to see you."

"I don't know any Slade Wilson," Jack tilted his head in confusion. "What is he here for?"

"He says he has important business to discuss with you, sir."

Jack sighed, "Alright, tell him I will be right there." Jeremiah bowed his acknowledgement then left the room. Jack turned back to X and told him, "I will talk to you later. Come to the study after dinner."

"Alright," X shrugged, wondering silently what Jack had to say.

He watched as Jack left to do his business not knowing what was going to happen.

-x-X-x-

Red X sighed with satisfaction as he finished his water. He had been doing some strengthening exercises after Jack had left and had decided to go shower now. He stopped as he saw the door to Jack's study open. That was odd. Jack never left that door open because he didn't want the maids snooping in there.

X approached the door and his eyes widened with shock at the sight.

Jack laid sprawled on the floor, a dagger stuck in his chest as blood pooled around his body. A towering man with shaggy snow white hair and an eye patch and one blue eye stood over him.

At that moment, memories flashed through X's mind. His parents' dead bodies…the blood that surrounded them…that red color…

"You!" X hissed, catching the attention of the man. Anger bubbled up within X as he screamed and pulled out a small knife he always had on his person. He ran to attack the man, but the man easily blocked his attacks.

All X could see was red as he blindly stabbed at the man. His anger was getting the better of him as his attacks got sloppier, and he didn't even pay attention to defending himself.

When X swiped the knife at the man, the man grabbed his hand then punched X in the gut, causing X to cry out in pain and fall to his knees spitting out blood.

The man chuckled, kneeling down to be face to face with X. He grabbed X's black hair and pulled his face up. "Well, well, if it isn't the same boy who caused trouble for me so many years ago. I thought you were dead."

X's eyes widened with realization, "It's you!"

The man smiled wickedly, "Yes, my dear boy, I am the one who killed your parents. And now I have killed the man who has taken care of you."

"WHY?" X glared at the man. "Why did you kill him?"

The man chucked, "He was thorn in my side, disrupting my business. He had to go."

"I'll kill you!" X growled.

"I'd like to see you try," The man threw X to the side, X hitting a wall and then falling. X struggled to get up and saw a pair of feet in front of him. "It's a little too early for you to challenge me, boy."

"Argh!" X pushed himself up with the adrenaline he had left to attack, but the man one again blocked him easily and subdued him once again.

"Why don't you try again in a few years?" The man chuckled once more, throwing X again and then walking away.

X growled, forcing himself up and running after him, but once he was outside the study, the man was gone.

-x-X-x-

"_Because Jackson Hanover left no will and had no heir, Hanover Incorporation was sold to the highest bidder. The man who was lucky enough to get this successful business was none other than Slade Wilson, who is running for mayor in the upcoming election._" A clip of Slade Wilson waving to the public showed up. The man smiled, his lone blue eye staring out at the crowd.

X threw a knife at the TV, breaking the screen and effectively shutting it off. He blues eyes angrily stared at the TV as he clenched his fist tightly. "Slade."

-x-X-x-

"Is something the matter?"

"Hm?" X turned to look at Raven. It had been a couple of weeks since she had arrived to his place. The two had gotten friendlier with each other since their shopping trip, but what had happened in the dressing room was never spoken about nor did anything like that happen again. The two acted like it hadn't happen, not sure what to think about these new feelings developing between them.

But Raven clearly showed a concerned expression as she sat next to X. "You looked kind of sad."

"I was just thinking…" X trailed off, looking back out the window. _Today was his birthday. _

X closed his eyes, reminiscing.

**Flashback**

"_Happy birthday to you," X cheerfully sang as he came out of the kitchen with a cake in his hands, placing it before the surprised Jack. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jack, happy birthday to you." _

_Jack smiled as X sat to the left of him. "Did you make this yourself?" _

"_I did," X replied smugly. "Now blow out the candles before melted wax falls on the cake. Don't forget to make a wish." _

_Jack smiled wider, closed his eyes, and blew out the candles._

"_What'd you wish for?" X asked, as the maid came and started cutting the cake._

"_Now why would I tell you? If I tell you, my wish won't come true." Jack ruffled his hair affectionately._

"_Aww, come on. Tell me!" _

"_Nope."_

"_Meanie." Jack burst out laughing, and soon a small smile appeared on X's face._

**End of Flashback**

_I wonder what you wished for, and if it ever came true. _Red X thought, looking at the stars out the window.

"X?" He turned to Raven again who was looking at him curiously. "What are you thinking about?"

"Do…" X paused, wondering if he would sound stupid saying this. But he decided to say it anyway, "Do you believe that wishes come true?"

Raven paused, her face impassive as her mind whirled with a ton of emotions. Was this a joke? No, X looked too serious. So what did his question mean? How should she answer? Raven Roth didn't believe in wishes. As a kid, she had made so many wishes on shooting stars, birthday candles, and 11:11s, but it was all futile. Her wishes never came true. But right now she wasn't Raven Roth. She was Raven Taine. What did Raven Taine believe?

"…Yes," Raven said quietly, facing X seriously. "I do believe that wishes come true. They might not come true right away, and they might not happen the way you expect them to, but I believe in some way, wishes do come true."

To Raven's surprise, she saw a small smile creep up on X's face, and for once, his smile seemed genuine. It wasn't mocking, sarcastic, or fake. It was a true smile, the first she had ever seen on his face.

Her heart skipped a beat, her face feeling warmer than usual. She tried to force back these foreign feelings inside her. These feelings had to stop, she thought. She wouldn't be able to get her job done. A warning flashed in her head from her academy days: _Never let your personal feelings get involved with your work._

But as she felt her own lips curl into a small smile, Raven couldn't help but respond to this new expression of X's. For once, he didn't seem sad, angry, or mysterious. He seemed truly at peace, showing a side of him Raven hadn't seen before. One of the various facets to the man that was Red X, a man Raven slowly found herself growing attracted to. A man that Raven couldn't afford to be attracted to.

"Thanks Raven, I needed to hear that," Red X commented, looking back out the window.

Raven mumbled a response and quickly excused herself to the restroom. She locked the door behind her and looked in the mirror, shocked to find how red her face was. She backed against the door, sliding to the ground as she clenched her hands tightly.

_Go away go away go away go away go away_, Raven thought urgently, trying to will away the warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. _Go away go away go away go away go away._

But no matter how much she chanted, the thumping in her chest, the heat in her cheeks, and the strange tingling sensation throughout her body wouldn't go away. And what scared her even more was that she wasn't sure if she wanted these feelings to go away.

-x-X-x-

The first time Jericho had been tested on by his father was at the age of six. Jericho had been bedridden with a terrible fever. Everything had appeared hazy to him, but he could clearly remember his mother's distress when the fever got worse and the doctors told her that Jericho wouldn't survive. He remembered his father becoming angry with the doctors. He remembered his father buying the best scientists and forcing them to make something that would cure Jericho.

They tested serum after serum on him, but nothing helped. Then one day, one of the serums worked. His fever went down, he appeared healthy again, and his mother was happy again.

That was until Jericho went crazy. He attacked the scientist giving him medicine, breaking the man's arm and destroying everything in sight. It wasn't until an hour later that he calmed down. But he remembered everything clearly.

He remembered the look of horror on his mother's face, the look of shock and wonderment on his father's. He remembered his father saying this was a miraculous discovery, a serum that gave super strength. Who knew what else they could do? There should be more tests!

But his mother didn't like it. She pleaded with her husband to stop, saying the serums turned Jericho into a monster. A monster who wasn't her son.

That was the day Jericho saw his mother and father fight for the first time. It was also the first time he saw his father hit his mother, and his mother looking afraid for once. She tried a couple more times to convince her husband to stop the tests, but each talk resulted in a fight and him beating her. After a week, Jericho awoke one day to find his mother and all her things gone.

He hadn't heard from his mother since.

A couple years later, when Jericho was eight years old, his father ran low on funds to continue his testing. His father was a successful businessman, but with the amount of tests he kept doing, he didn't have enough money to keep on doing them. So his father worked to rise higher in the world. He scammed businessmen and stole all their profits.

When his father began to think about getting into the world of politics, he had come home one day with a surprise.

Jericho remembered that was the first time he saw Tessa. She was a frail little girl only a year old. She was so innocent and so scared. He remembered watching her pitifully as his father locked her up in the glass teahouse. Jericho hadn't seen her much afterwards, but he knew that the same thing that had happened to him was happening to her.

It was then that Jericho began to hate his father.

He hated his father for scaring away his mother. He hated his father for making him into a son she no longer wanted. He hated his father for making Jericho scared of everything, even himself.

Because Jericho knew that underneath his seemingly innocent exterior, inside was a monster lying in wait.

A monster he was afraid of becoming, but that was already so deeply engraved in him that it wouldn't go away no matter what.

When Jericho turned 15, his father won the election to become mayor of Jump City.

And at that time, Jericho realized that the reason he had so easily become a monster was because he had a monster for a father.

-x-X-x-

Sometimes, Tessa had strange dreams. When she wasn't having nightmares about turning into a beast she didn't recognize as herself, she had these weird but peaceful dreams of some special people. At least, they felt special to her.

Most of the time, all she would see were faceless figures, holding their arms out towards her. While she could never make out their faces, she could tell they were a man and a woman. She could feel warmth radiating from them which always calmed her.

Sometimes she would see more and would be in the man's arms as he twirled her around in a circle, cheerful laughs echoing in her ears. Other times she would find herself cradled in the woman's arms, soft coos filling the air.

And then there were times when neither the man nor woman was in her dreams. At those times, a boy would appear in her dreams. He would hold her hand in his and they would just walk, towards where she never knew, but she always felt safe when she held this boy's hand. And if it was a particularly good dream, she would sometimes see bits and pieces of his face. Creamy skin, dark hair, and eyes as blue as her own. And always a smile. A soft, small smile always graced his face.

Tonight, she was having such a dream. The boy held her hand tightly, leading her to nowhere in particular. He turned to look at her, and she could see a shine in his blue eyes. His smiling mouth opened and a voice that felt familiar spoke, "Tessa."

Her eyes fluttered open. For a few seconds, she blinked, trying to process where she was. Then she remembered, and she turned to her side, shutting her eyes tightly, wishing that this was the dream instead of reality.

But it wasn't.

For the first time in a long time, Tessa cried, mourning the loss of people she didn't even recognize.

But the heavy feeling in her heart told she did know these people and that these people were no longer around.

Tessa cried softly into her pillow, feeling very alone in this cruel world.

* * *

**Again, sorry it's taken me forever to update this story. But now that I'm back on track with writing, I plan to finish this story as quickly as possible so I can start posting some new stories I've been working on. :)**

**Thank you everyone who's stuck with me despite my lack of updating…XD Total FAIL on my part. I apologize. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**Ohh, and new songs I found that relate to this story, feel free to check them out: "**Hurricane" and "Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds to Mars.

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


	9. Chapter 8: Unraveling Secrets

**Yay! I updated faster than I expected! Next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone but Tessa, Red X's alter ego, and [technically] Jericho and Grant's personalities (sorta).**

* * *

**Chapter 8- Unraveling Secrets**

X frowned as he stared down at the various papers he had spread out on his dining table. _What the hell are you up to Slade?_

Since he was sixteen and Jack had been killed, X wondered why Slade had targeted Jack and his parents. Why had he killed them? What made them so special?

He had dug up as much information as he could. He figured Slade had killed Jack for power over his company, but why? As far as he knew, Slade was a successful businessman by himself. Why had he needed Jack's?

X looked over the papers that had information about Jack's company. Jack had been a scientist deep down. He had a passion for solving life's greatest mysterious through science. His company experimented a lot, though their main job was creating new medicines.

Did this mean Jack had made some sort of discovery that Slade had wanted? But what? X had looked up project after project and had found that Jack hadn't been working on anything major when he had been killed. Nothing that seemed so big that it was worth killing for. So what had been Slade's goal?

"_He was thorn in my side, disrupting my business. He had to go."_

Slade's words to X that night rang through his head. What exactly had Jack been disrupting? X furrowed his brow in thought, folding his hands together.

"X?" the voice broke him from his thoughts. Red X looked up and his expression softened slightly as he caught the worried look in Raven's eyes.

"You okay?" she asked, setting down a cup of tea in front of him. He usually drank coffee but since ever Raven had come, she had banished coffee from his diet, saying the amount of caffeine he drank was unhealthy. She had then served him some tea and grudgingly he had to admit it did a better job of calming him and making him focus than coffee did.

"Not really," X admitted, breathing out with exhaustion as he tilted his head back, hands crossed over his chest. "I feel like I'm missing a piece of this puzzle but I just can't figure out where it's supposed to be or what it's supposed to look like."

Raven slowly thought over his words, sliding onto the seat across from X. She sneakily eyed some of the reports on the table, seeing that they were all about Slade Wilson and a man named Jackson Hanover.

She sipped her tea quietly, her eyes moving to stare at X. Her mouth tightened into a firm line as she saw how tired X look. Worry lines that shouldn't have been there could be seen around X's eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His ocean blue eyes wearily stared at the reports, an almost hopeless look in them.

"Why exactly are you so fixated on this Slade person?" Her eyes were fixed on X's face, watching him carefully as he turned to look at her, a frown marring his face. His brows knitted together as he folded his hands together.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

Raven bristled at his suspicious tone. Was it wrong of her to ask that? She was worried about him god dammit! She would admit, this wasn't like her, and she shouldn't feel like this at all towards her enemy. But she couldn't help the wrenching feeling in her chest as she watched X work tirelessly towards a goal that seemed impossible.

X was only a man. A man who was recognized as a killer by society. Sure, he may be a hero to some, but even with their support X could only do so much.

Touching a man like Slade Wilson without dire consequences was impossible. And for reasons she'd rather not think about, Raven didn't want X to suffer.

He wasn't as bad as she had first thought. In fact, he was just like her. He was working towards bringing down a person who was way above him in order to procure his revenge. How was that any different from what she did as a cop who wanted to bring her father to justice?

_No,_ Raven thought, trying to banish these thoughts from her head. _I can't sympathize with him! He's the enemy! He's a killer! He's…he's…_

X had to a double take as his mouth slightly opened with shock at the sight of tears running down Raven's face. He had never seen her cry.

Suddenly guilt filled him. Was it his fault she was crying? Had he sounded that harsh when he responded to her? "Raven…" X reached out to her, almost hurt when she turned away, rubbing her eyes quickly.

"I-I'm fine…I-I-…" Raven's face burned as she cursed herself inwardly. She never cried! Especially in front of people she hardly knew! This wasn't like her at all! Raven Roth did not shed tears.

But she wasn't Raven Roth right now was she? How could she so easily lose her persona around X? Why was it so hard to maintain control of her fake self? Why couldn't she act around X? When had it become this difficult to lie to him? When did her lies start to hurt her?

Raven almost gasped when she felt warm arms envelop her. She didn't have to look up to know X was hugging her. Her face grew redder, but she couldn't help herself. She leaned into his comforting warmth, letting the tears stream down her face freely, letting it all go.

She couldn't believe herself. It was almost shameful. She was supposed to be the best undercover agent ever, cold and emotionless as always. She was supposed to bring down her enemy.

She wasn't supposed to feel safe in their arms.

But that's exactly how she felt as X held onto her tightly, whispering comforting words in her ears.

She wasn't supposed to fall in love with her enemy.

-x-X-x-

Jericho didn't know what to say as he looked down at Tessa. It was obvious she had been crying as dry tear streaks were on her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy.

He knelt down to be face to face to her, caressing her face softly, asking what was wrong.

Tessa just clenched onto his shirt, pressing her face into his chest as she trembled. He wrapped her arms around her, bringing her into his lap as he soothingly rubbed her back, letting her cry to her heart's content.

As her cries subsided, Jericho wondered what had happened. Why was Tessa sad? He worried about whether the scientists had done something to her when Tessa's voice broke him away from his thoughts, "Jericho, do I have a mother and father?"

Jericho started slightly at the question. He bit his lip, wondering whether he should tell Tessa or not. Before when he had taught her about a family tree, he had looked at Tessa's file to see whether she had any living family. It was then he learned that Tessa's parents were dead. It didn't say how they died, though Jericho suspected his father probably killed them. He of course was angry at his father once he learned this, but at the same time it came as no surprise to him. His father would do anything for his own power gain.

Jericho looked down at Tessa who was looking up at him expectantly. He forced himself to smile, telling her that while she didn't have parents, she had him. He would be her family from now on.

This brought a small smile to her face as she hugged Jericho tightly, "Thank you Jericho."

For some reason, Jericho had a vague sense that Tessa knew she was all alone. This thought prompted him to hold onto Tessa tighter.

He wouldn't let his father corrupt her anymore. She had already gone through so much for a girl her age. She didn't belong here. She wasn't a monster like he was. She was pure in her own way, and he wanted her to stay that way.

"Jericho?" Tessa felt his arms squeeze her tighter with an almost urgent-like feeling. All she could do was squeeze back, silently comforting Jericho in her own way.

The two kindred spirits held tightly onto each other, as they were the only ones they had.

-x-X-x-

X groaned slightly as he felt the vibration of his cell phone. He quickly sat up and flipped open the cell phone, reading the text message he had received.

**To: X**

**From: Jinx**

_**We need to talk ASAP. Meet me at the usual place.**_

X sighed, wondering what was wrong this time and why they needed to talk at four in the morning. He got up from the couch quietly, looking towards the bed to see Raven was still asleep. He walked up to the bed, looking down as Raven slept peacefully, moonlight from the window above the bed spilling down to make her skin glow.

X pushed a stray strand of hair from her face, smiling softly to himself. After Raven's breakdown a few days ago, the two had grown quite close. X wondered how this woman so easily caused him to let his defenses fall and let her in.

"X?" He looked at Raven who was facing him with confusion on her face.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" X said softly, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as she moved to sit up.

Raven shook her head, peering at X curiously. "Why are you up this early?"

"Ah, well, Jinx texted me saying she needed to talk."

"Oh." Raven wondered what they had to talk to about. "Do you want me to come with you?"

When Raven had first come here, X didn't trust her enough to leave her alone in his home. Whenever he went on missions he asked Jinx to babysit her and when he just went out he would drag her along.

X shook her head, "No, you can go back asleep. I bet Jinx just called me up to bitch to me about her roommates again."

Raven laughed slightly as inside her heart thumped loudly. So X trusted her enough to leave her alone now? That made her happy…and at the same time very sad. _Don't trust me too much, X._

"I'll be back soon," X promised. He then paused, the expression on his face debating. Raven wondered what he was thinking about when suddenly X leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment and happiness as X smiled. "Night Raven."

"Y-Yeah! Whatever. Hey, didn't you have a meeting to get to?" Raven muttered as she threw the blanket over her face to hide her blushes.

X chuckled at her embarrassment, getting up and grabbing his coat before he left the warehouse.

"Stupid X…" Raven mumbled as she finally went out from the blanket's cover. She touched her forehead gingerly, feeling her face heating up again as her heart beat faster in her chest. _Stupid me…_

-x-X-x-

"So why'd you call me out here, Jinx?" X sat down on the ledge of the roof of the abandoned building. He looked out at Jump City just as pink rays from the sunrise began to peak out from the roofs of apartments and office buildings.

Jinx stood behind the ledge beside him, also looking at the sunrise. "Remember when we first met X?"

"Yeah," X mused, smiling slightly as he remembered.

_**Flashback**_

"_Tch," X grumbled as he stared down at the dead body in contempt. The man's eyes were still wide open with fear as blood seeped from the cut around his neck. "You got my clothes dirty." X glared at the splotches of red on his shirt in distaste, hating the color. He quickly stripped off the shirt, throwing it next to the corpse as he pulled his jacket back on._

"_Wow, I wasn't expecting a strip show as well," a cheerful voice rang out as slow claps accompanied it. X whirled around, weapons ready in his hands as he scowled at the intruder. A pink haired girl with pink catlike eyes just smiled back at him. Her skin was pale and her black and purple Halloween-esque clothes looked out of place. She held her hands up innocently, showing she meant no harm. _

"_Who are you?" X demanded as he warily backed away. _

"_The name's Jinx," she announced as she did a flamboyant bow. "And you must be that assassin I keep hearing about. Red X, correct?" _

"_What do you want?" X narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _

"_Do not misunderstand," Jinx told him, crossing her arms behind her back. "I'm not here to stop you. In fact, I'm here to help you in a way." _

"_What do you mean by help?" X inquired, relaxing his stance slightly when he realized this girl wouldn't attack him. _

_Jinx shifted her eyes slyly, her mouth curling up into a cattish smile. They both could hear guards approaching from the outside, but they both knew that by the time the guards got here they would be gone. "Let's just say we have the same goals, you and I."_

"_And what exactly would that be?" X raised an eyebrow in curiosity._

_Jinx's smile only got wider as she stated, "Why, the downfall of Slade Wilson of course." _

_X perked up at the mention of Slade Wilson. He studied Jinx, intrigued by what kind of connection they both could have. Jinx walked forward to X just as they heard pounding footsteps outside the door of the office they were in. She pressed a piece of paper into his hand as she whispered in his ear, "Give me a call sometime, comrade." _

_With that, she saluted him and ran towards the window, crashing through the glass and falling. Red X ran up to the window and looked over the ledge, a little surprised to see she had landed on the ground perfectly on her feet and was running away. _

"_What a weird girl," X muttered as he moved to crawl upwards to the roof, conscious of the crumpled piece of paper now in his pocket with a phone number scrawled on it._

_**End of Flashback**_

"Why'd you bring that up?"X wondered as he turned to Jinx, surprised to see she had a serious look on her face. She usually acted so happy and carefree that a grave facial expression was a rarity on her face.

"Do you know why I wanted to bring down Slade, X?" Jinx turned to X to look at his eyes.

X shook his head slowly, wondering what was bothering his friend. The two had met up shortly after that first meeting, and while they never outright told each other their reasons for going after Slade, they bonded over their mutual goal. Ever since they met, Jinx would help X research more into Slade's life, letting him kill people she found with a connection to Slade. With each kill, they found out more and more, but they still hadn't found anything incriminating enough to use as evidence against Slade.

While X was more than satisfied with just killing Slade, he found out through the years that that wouldn't be enough to Jinx. She not only wanted him dead, he wanted him to suffer. She wanted to rip apart his perfect reputation and show the city for the evil man he was. She wanted Slade to be hated by people that loved him so that they would turn on him and Slade would be left all alone.

He wondered what had caused her to hate that man so much, though X figured Slade must have done something to Jinx that was similar to what was done to him.

"X…" Jinx started slowly, contemplating over her words. "You know how I'm an orphan, right? Well, I used to have a younger brother. His name was Wyatt. When Wyatt was a little over a year old, that's when we met Slade. He came to the orphanage to adopt us. At first, he only wanted Wyatt, but because I said I wouldn't be separated from my brother, he adopted us both. He took us home, clothed us, fed us, and treated us real nice in the beginning."

X had a bad feeling as he watched Jinx's face become bitter. "One day, Wyatt suddenly came to me crying, saying he was afraid of Slade and that he wanted to leave. But I didn't understand and told him that Slade was our father and that was our home. We couldn't leave. Not when we had finally found a family. I was such a fool." Jinx bit her lip, feeling the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Her hands clenched tightly into fists.

"I didn't know that behind my back, Slade was using my brother as a test subject. That he was…_**experimenting**_"—the word was spat out from Jinx's mouth like it was poison—"on him! I didn't want to be alone again and because of my selfishness, Slade turned my brother and me into monsters." Jinx's face fell into her hands as she started to silently sob. X could only look at her with understanding as he listened to her continue.

"I didn't always look like this," Jinx murmured as she wiped away her tears, trying to will herself to be strong. "Once I found out what Slade was doing I tried to make him stop, but I only ended up becoming one of his test subjects as well. That's how come I look like this and how I'm different from normal people."X knew that Jinx had always been slightly different, but he didn't know that's because she had been Slade's lab rat.

"That's how I met her." Jinx turned to look at X as her next words made him freeze over in shock, "Your sister."

"T-Tessa?" X stammered, almost not believing her. He had not seen or heard anything of his sister in so long that he didn't want this to be a false hope. But as he reached towards Jinx, grabbing her arm and shaking it senselessly, he couldn't help but wish it were true. "You saw Tessa?"

Jinx winced at how strongly he grasped her arm. She tried to push him away, "Yes! I saw her! I didn't know she was your sister at first but when I met you, I saw the resemblance right away." Jinx stopped, feeling the grip on her arm slacken as X could only stare incredulously. Jinx murmured, "She has the same eyes as you."

It was then he felt his heart get lighter. His sister…she was still out there. Alive. He had proof that she was indeed alive and that he hadn't lost! He could still get her back! "Where?" X demanded as he looked at Jinx seriously. "Where did you see her, Jinx?"

"X!" Jinx growled warningly, tightening her own grip on his arm. "Let go of me! You won't be able to find her without me!"

At that, he let her go. He glared at Jinx though as he growled back, "Why didn't you ever tell me this? You knew this entire time where my sister was! Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because if I had, you would have stormed up to Slade's home ready to just start shooting at anything, and who knows what he could have done to your sister! I didn't want to repeat my mistake again!" Jinx screamed, angrily glaring back at X.

X paused, Jinx's words sinking in. He looked at his friend who suddenly lost strength and turned back to the ground. Her voice was quiet and full of sadness, "I didn't want you to lose her like I lost my brother."

There were a few moments of silence between the two before X broke it, "Jinx…what happened to your brother Wyatt?"

At the sound of his name her strong face crumbled. She burst into tears, burying her face into her hands as she sobbed, "He killed him! That bastard killed him! He was only a little boy, and he killed him!" Her face turned back up to X, and he was shocked by the amount of raw emotion in her eyes. "All that experimenting on Wyatt's body finally broke him down! He couldn't handle it anymore! That beast that Slade turned him into ate Wyatt alive!"

Before X could say anything, Jinx rambled on: "And I was scared! When I met you, I knew I had finally met the man who could probably bring Slade down. But I was scared of telling you what I knew because I was afraid that if I told you, what had happened to me would happen to you. You don't need to see that X."

"See what?" X demanded. "What exactly are you afraid of me seeing."

Jinx looked straight at him in the eye as she said this in a grave tone, "I was afraid of you seeing yourself lose your sister as she turned into something you would no longer recognize as her. Something that would kill her. A monster."

-x-X-x-

"Come in," Slade responded to the knock on his office door as he shuffled some papers around his desk.

The mayor's office was as luxurious as one could expect it to be, with modern, posh furniture and pictures of Slade with important people and frames with awards and certificates inside of them hanging all over the wall. A large mahogany desk was where Slade currently sat in the back middle of the office, his back facing a large wall made of windows overlooking the city. A platinum nameplate with his name and position sat atop of the desk along with various items expected to be on a mayor's desk.

Slade Wilson smiled as congenially as possible as he watched Richard Grayson enter his office. "Ah, Mr. Grayson, what a nice surprise. I assume you came to visit to update me on my case?"

"Yes, sir." Richard nodded. "Currently our agent is still working undercover to determine a weakness of Red X and undermine his plot. Our agent is still unsure of what exactly Red X intends to pull off but has warned us of some possibilities. We are doing all we can to ensure your safety, Mayor Wilson."

"Good, good," Slade nodded, inwardly grimacing and grumbling about the Titan's incompetence. How hard could it be to catch a single man? "Thank you for the update, Mr. Grayson. If that is all, I have some business to attend to. You know the way out."

Richard nodded, slightly frowning at Slade's attitude but leaving like he was ordered to nonetheless. Once Richard was gone, Slade growled under his breath, pressing a button on his desk phone, "Stacy, please tell Grant to come to my office immediately."

"_Right away Mr. Wilson," _a feminine voiceresponded.

About a minute or so later Grant burst through the door, smiling widely and laughing as he flirted with the secretary. _Always loud and obnoxious, that boy,_ Slade thought with a sigh.

"So what'd you need me for, pops?" Grant asked as he closed the door behind him, sticking his hands in his pants pockets and looking excited. He had been bored sitting around and "guarding" his father. He hoped that his father was going to give him an interesting job now.

"Grant," Slade folded his hands together, a wicked smirk on his face. "I need you to find a man called Red X and kill him."

Finally! Something interesting! Grant smiled a wicked smile all too like his father's as he cracked his knuckles, "No prob, pops."

This was going to be fun.

* * *

**Hm, this chapter is a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but I wanted it to end like this. Actually, I believe in three or four more chapters this story should be done. Man, it's taken me a while to get here.**

**I'm glad I was able to update faster this time. :)**

**Thanks for reading a reviewing as always!**

**Ciao,**

**Xaleria**


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